The Basics of Science


Recently, my daughter told me that the problem she has with science is all the big words. To be sure, science does have big words and potentially big math. But what really is the pursuit of science all about?


What is Science all about?

A movie I enjoy watching greatly is Infinity starring Matthew Broderick. He plays Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who also was involved in the building of the Atom Bomb. (The movie largely is about his first wife Arlene. It is a good movie and Broderick does a first-rate job playing a physicist, but I warn you – it ends as a tear-jerker.)


The opening scene is worth watching and is a must for someone who wants to know what science is about. You can follow the link here, or do a search under "Infinity movie opening scene Broderick". Here a young Feynman is taking a walk through the park with his father. At one point he asks his father for the name of a particular bird. The father's response is classic. He could tell him the name of the bird in every language, he says, but that would only tell him what the bird is called by other people.


He wouldn't learn anything about the bird itself. He must study the bird itself.


Science, then, is not about big words or stuffy procedures. It is about exploring the world around us in a rational way. Being a scientist is in many ways like being a big kid.


As an example, consider another story shared about this same Richard Feynman. A friend related that one night they were cooking spaghetti and a question arose as to why the pasta broke the way it did when it was snapped into two. As a result, several boxes of spaghetti were consumed as they broke it in different ways in order to determine the reason. They both had a fun evening and made wonderful memories.


That's science.


The elements of Science

I do not teach the "scientific method" when teaching science. The reason is that, in my opinion, it makes the process of science become a dry practice of connect-the-dots. Not only that, in the real world of science things don't always happen in a certain, set order.


In many, ways doing science is something like cooking. Sometimes things must be done in a logical order (Cook the potatoes before you mash them). But sometimes the order of cooking can be rearranged, as long as it still makes sense to do so.


So, in my opinion, what is important in making scientific discoveries is to know the elements or parts of science.


Questions

Often times a question comes first as a matter of logic. But not always. Many times a question comes after an experiment is performed, particularly when the results are very different than expected.


Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a fancy word for a guess, possibly an educated one. Someone sees or hears about something that pricks their curiosity. An explanation or guess is conjured.


Theories

Theories are ideas or a set of ideas used to explain certain observations. For example, the cell theory says that all living things are made up of cells.


Sometimes it is said that something is "only a theory," implying that it is not as certain as other scientific statements. The truth "that scientists don't want you to know" is that all science is a work in progress. Today's "certain" truths can become tomorrows "kind-of" truths.

Ladies Home Journal, 1948


Experiments and observation

This is the business end of science. We can think and question all we want, but at some point, we need to do something and see how physical reality behaves in terms of the question or theory.


So we test and observe what is going on. We will then either see that our guess (sorry, hypothesis) is right and we're all happy. Or things go wrong and we need to rethink our ideas.


But then again, sometimes when things go wrong is when the fun of science can really kick in.


Units and measurements

A usual part of observing an experiment means measuring something; how long it takes, how far does it move and so on. Measurement of any kind requires a unit of measurement. In cooking, units usually are in the form of cups, teaspoons, tablespoons. Time is usually in minutes. So too with science. In science, there is a commonly accepted set of units.


But don't get too hung up on which units one chooses. Just be consistent and logical. Remember the old adage coined here for the first time: “Units are made for the scientist, not scientists for the units.”


Math

OK, as one delves into science the math gets bigger, sometimes really big.

But the larger question is, why use math?


This is a deep question. But in large measure, it is because math is about logic. A scientist takes physical reality, encodes it into math, uses the math to produce the logical outcomes and then converts it back to realistic terms to describe the real world. For example, using physical laws and math one can determine how long a ball will take to fall to the ground. This is what math does for science.


However, often one doesn't even need math, though it might make it more difficult to explain at times. Many of the ideas produced by science can be explained using words with little to no math.


So the bottom line is this; science is about curiosity and adventure in learning about the world around us. So, what are some science experiments or moments that impressed you in your life? Please feel free to share it with the rest of us!


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