Key Competencies Kit
for Facing Lifelong Learning
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This Project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This communication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission can not be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. |
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Upon completion of this unit you shall be able to:
There are several questions to ask when speaking about the concept of science:
Fields of science are commonly classified in:
Mathematics has both similarities and differences with the natural and social sciences, which are often called empirical sciences.
When we speak about natural sciences, we usually refer to biology, chemistry, physics and earth science. Let’s see now the subfields of each category:
Biology
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Chemistry
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Physics
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Earth science
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Try now to explain what every subfield deals with. For example:
Now, it’s your turn.
The phrases “scientific method” and “scientific knowledge” appeared only in the late nineteenth century
There were registered learned societies ever since Renaissance which communicated and promoted scientific thought and experimentation, such as:
Today, there are famous institutions which support scientific research. Among them, we could mention:
Can you name other institutions which deal with scientific experiments in your country?
It takes four forms:
Hypotheses are tentative statements about relationships between variables in nature. Long ago the rotation of the earth on its axis and the orbit of the earth about the sun were hypotheses. Over time and through scientific inquiry, hypotheses may become facts.
Facts are scientific observations that have been tested and confirmed repeatedly. The motion of a Foucault pendulum over a 24-hour period documents Earth’s rotation on its axis. Observations of the shifting shadows of fixed objects over several weeks and the changing hours of daylight and darkness over several months help document Earth’s revolution around the sun. Earth’s rotation and orbit are now scientific facts. Hypotheses may also become laws.
Laws describe the behaviour of specific aspects of nature under specific conditions. Boyle’s Law states that the volume (one property) of an ideal gas varies inversely (behaviour) with its pressure (second property) when the temperature (third property) of the gas is constant (specific condition). A physical law or law of nature is a scientific generalization based on a sufficiently large number of empirical observations that it is taken as fully verified. Scientists never claim absolute knowledge of nature or the behavior of the subject of the field of study
Theories are explanations about broad aspects of nature that encompass large numbers of hypotheses, facts, laws, and events. These explanations are well tested and valued for their ability to predict new scientific knowledge and produce practical benefits. A theory, in the context of science, is a logically self-consistent model or framework for describing the behavior of certain natural phenomena. A theory typically describes the behavior of much broader sets of phenomena than a hypothesis - commonly, a large number of hypotheses may be logically bound together by a single theory.
Unlike a mathematical proof, a scientific theory is empirical, and is always open to falsification, if new evidence is presented. Even the most basic and fundamental theories may turn out to be imperfect if new observations are inconsistent with them.
For example, Isaac Newton's Newtonian law of gravitation is a famous example of an established law that was later found not to be universal - it does not hold in experiments involving motion at speeds close to the speed of light or in close proximity of strong gravitational fields. Outside these conditions, Newton's Laws remain an excellent model of motion and gravity. Since general relativity accounts for all the same phenomena that Newton's Laws do and more, general relativity is now regarded as a more comprehensive theory.
Evolutionary theory explains the extensive diversity across living organisms as well as the underlying unity. Scientists in health, agriculture, and industry use evolution to develop new medicines, hybrid crops, and new molecules that enhance the performance of systems and benefit individuals and societies.
Education in science serves three purposes:
Science is a combination of logic and observation/experiment. Scientists use models to refer to a description or depiction of something, specifically one which can be used to make predictions that can be tested by experiment or observation. A hypothesis is a contention that has been neither well supported nor yet ruled out by experiment. A theory, in the context of science, is a logically self-consistent model or framework for describing the behavior of certain natural phenomena. A theory typically describes the behavior of much broader sets of phenomena than a hypothesis - commonly, a large number of hypotheses may be logically bound together by a single theory. A physical law or law of nature is a scientific generalization based on a sufficiently large number of empirical observations that it is taken as fully verified. Scientists never claim absolute knowledge of nature or the behavior of the subject of the field of study. Unlike a mathematical proof, a scientific theory is empirical, and is always open to falsification, if new evidence is presented.
Mathematics is essential to many sciences.
According to the physicist and theologian Ian G. Barbour, winner of the 1999 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion, there are at least four distinctive relations between science and religion: conflict, independence, dialogue, and integration.
They focus on the scientific study of living organisms, like animals, plants and human beings. Life sciences are meant to make everybody understand how important is to appreciate all living creatures and bodies.
The body systems are interconnected. The human body is a perfect machine where every system with its components depends on the others. Let’s see, briefly, how it works:
The skeletal and nervous systems are related because the bones provide calcium needed to function. The skull also acts as protection for the brain, and the vertebra protects the spinal cord. Between bones and joints there are sensory receptor, which tells the brain the pose of the body. Also the brain controls muscles to regulate the position of bones. The brain controls how many times the heartbeats and blood pressure. Information about blood pressure is sent to the brain by Baroreceptors. The muscular system is run by the nervous system, by receptors in the muscles sending messages to the brain about body position and movement and controls muscle movement. The reproductive and nervous system interrelate because the brain controls mating behavior and is affected by the same hormones that affect reproductive system. The digestive system sets up building blocks for neurotransmitters, the brain controls the drinking or eating behavior. The stomach sends messages to the brain telling it if it's full or not. The brain monitors the blood gas levels and the oxygen capacity; it also controls respiratory rate. The nervous system is related to the immune system because it stimulates the systems to defend against infection.
But not only human bodies are models of nature perfection, the animals and the plants are great examples, too. If we take, for example, a grasshopper, we shall see that all its components are interrelated and offers him the conditions to live a perfect life:
Science is the engine of evolution. If we want to progress, we have to develop the fields of science. “Modern civilization depends on science.…Science is the pursuit above all which impresses us with the capacity of man for intellectual and moral progress and awakens the human intellect to aspiration for a higher condition of humanity.”
Inscription by Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian Institution,
on the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.