Science Module 4

pure science

curiosity to understand

asks “Why?”

applied science

wanting to make things better; goal oriented

technology

result of applied or pure science or by accident.

Any invention that makes life or any job easier to do.

life science

encompasses all scientific pursuits related to living organisms

"All living things are made up of cells"

archaeology

study of past human life as revealed by preserved relics

why do we go beyond historical records to study life science?

b/c the further we go back in history, the increasingly scarce records become

artifacts

historical preserved objects made by people such as tools, weapons, containers, etc

geology

study of earth's history as revealed in the rocks that make up the earth

paleontology

study of life's history revealed in preserved remains of once living organisms

why is archaeology limited

b/c we don't have the full picture. it focuses on artifacts made by people.

internal test

does the document agree with itself; language and context

external test

does it agree or contradict other known historical facts;

the more agreement=the greater credibility

bibliographic test

ask: "Do copies of an ancient document accurately preserve the original writing?"

How much time has passed between original and surviving copy?

Shorter Time = Greater Reliability

How many copies exist?

More Copies to Compare = Greater Confidence

known age

the age of an artifact determined by the date printed OR reference to it in a historical record.

dendrochronology

using tree growth rings to determine the age of a tree and help date artifacts

(gives an estimated age instead of a known age)

how to count the age of a tree

count the number of light colored growth rings

assigned ages

an estimated age determined using a dating method

radiometric dating

using a radioactive process to estimate the age of an object

"Carbon-14"

which is more reliable? radiometric dating or dendrochronology dating?

they are both reliable as each other as long as time is less than 3000 years old.

relative age

not exact age but determining if artifact is younger or older than another artifact

principle of superposition

layered artifacts found in rock or earth; the deeper the layers, the older the artifacts

what kind of rings does a tree typically grow each year

1 light ring, 1 dark ring

written records

help us learn more about ancient civilizations

growth rings effected by environmental conditions

rainfall, temperature, length of growing season