Introducing science as a way to understand and communicate and to improve everyday life. Including an introduction to the scientific method which can be thought of as the heart of science.
Science is a way one may use to improve every-day life. Science
is a doing. It is a method of understanding. It is the practice of a
method to understand and to communicate that understanding. It may be
called the scientific method. This method can be an aid to one's personal self-development.
As
you become more acquainted with this method of understanding you will
become a more understanding person. You will also come to have a better
understanding of science than do most people on earth. You will also
have begun a better understanding of any of the sciences even
ytterbiumology!
The scientific method includes the following 5 powerful actions:
~ observation
~ identification
~ description
~ experimentation
~ explanation.
These are four actions one may take to know. They are what one can do.
This "what" is important but "how" may be more important. I will say a
bit about this "how" right here. Observation may be the careful watching
of a process, doing, or happening you have good reason to believe is
real. Identification is being familiar enough with what you have
observed to be able to recognize it again. A description enables you to
tell another how to recognize the phenomenon and to help you to
recognize it again later. Experimentation is a way to further
investigate that which you have observed. Explanation is a theoretical
explaining of what you are coming to understand from your observation of
the phenomena you have identified.
Just
taking the above steps and so becoming more aware of your observations
has empowered you. So, we might say, a scientist carefully observes and
begins an explanation of her observations. The method, is how she does
this. That is, it is done carefully and systematically. The scientist
can tell another the system and theoretically that other should be able
to duplicate the original observations and experimentations and get
similar results. The quality of what is done is important, How well you
observe is important. How you do it is as important as what you do.
` To
understand a subject it is good to clarify the words used to describe
it. Let me begin to begin to define some our terms here. The word
"science" seems a good place to start. Simply, science means knowledge,
the business of coming to know. Just how one knows is a serious
business. Science became knowledge gathered by study and still contains
that meaning. Study is a name for careful observation and interpretation
within a specified field. That now often includes study of the work of
others, Now science has come to include the technical and mathematical
study of a subject. We will not go as far as the uses of math or the
techniques if a specific science. However, the basic methods of doing
science both simpler and more powerful than one might suppose. Some come
to see it as an attitude.
"Method"
refers to the way an act is accomplished, how it is done. So, science
is a way to understand. A particular science is a way to understanding
in a particular field. Anthropology is a particular science. "Anthro-
refers to humanity and -ology refers to study. So anthropology is the
study of humanity. It is often about the comparative study of societies.
Study is an important part of the life of most scientists. They want to
know about what others in their field have learned.
In
doing their science one usually begins with observation and
identification; then on to describe and investigate. Experimentation in
this field has not been easy, but anthropologist are finding ways of
testing their observations. Their explaining of the phenomena of their
field has proven interesting and useful. They have their own way of
doing their work, but they also use the basic steps of the method we are
learning about (I learn as I write.).
` "Biology"
names another science. Its about life. It is the natural scientific
study of life and living organisms. It is one of the more nicely
developed sciences. So nicely developed that some of its practitioners
some times seem to forget that its development is dependent on the
method we are looking at. Cells and genes are important aspects of this
science. Understanding them begins with observation and identification
and then on to explain their finds to their fellows and humanity.
Biologists use the scientific method.
You
have seen that it can important that a person interested in science to
have a good grasp on the nature of the scientific method. Knowledge of
that method can be a great aid to one interested in knowledge. The
following vocabulary points to activities useful to one who would know:
observation, identification, recognition, explanation, probability,
knowing, understanding, researching, theoretical description. Also, to
remember that an ability to recognize and observe natural phenomena is a
great aid to understanding and is part of scientific methodology. If
you are interested in math you may find that solid geometry may prove an
interesting way to keep your science real and less difficult to
communicate.
I
believe that you have an understanding of the heart of the scientific
method as a way many have found useful for gaining practical, productive
knowledge.
The
ways of scientific observation are important to the development of
understanding. Often it is carried with the use of technical
instrumentation, but that need not be the case. My dictionary has this
to say about "to observe:" to watch attentively, to notice, to make a
systematic or scientific observation. I have heard that good observation
may be like seeing with a new pair of glasses. "Systematic" implies
that there may be a system or systems to be learned. It seems that the
way of a scientific doing is as important as the what of it. I have
heard that is not so much about what you but rather how you do it.
So
observation includes the acts of looking, seeing, noting, and recording
of phenomena. All this done as a step toward communicating your work
to another. Your observation might be better done with instrumentation,
but this is often not a necessity.
Observation
may lead to developing an a judgement or inference. Wow! We may have
stuff (good important stuff) to learn about the development of a
judgement or an inference. If you can tell us anything about judgement
or inference as relates to science please use the "comments" section
below. You may have to click on "no comments!"
There is more to learn about the way science is done. However this
seems about enough for now. I'll end by saying a bit about
identification. Identifying a phenomenon, is in large part, for the
purpose of being able to recognize it yourself in the future and to an
enable others to find it, and to recognize it.
Oh,
ytterbiumology, it is beyond my present knowledge. Still it may be
studied and know well enough to make us some cash. It seems that
ytterbium is a real element known to many chemists and physicists. It
has the symbol of Yb and the atomic number of 70. I am willing to be
taught.
RCS