PY 131 Chapter 1: Textbook Notes

Early Scientists

Eratosthenes of Cyrene: found Earth’s size by measuring shadows with a vertical pillar

Lord Kelvin: said that if you can measure something in numbers, you clearly know something about it

Aristarchus: found the size of the moon and suggested Earth only spins on its axis once per day

• The distance between us and the Moon is about ==110 times the moon’s diameter==
• Distance between us and the Sun is around 110 Sun diameters

Charles Goodyears: found volcanized rubber

Galileo and Francis Bacon: created the common scientific method we know today

Scientific Methods

• Scientific method: Observe, Hypothesize, Predict, Perform, Summarize

• Scientific attitude: inquiry, integrity, and humility

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In order for a theory to be proven, ==your experiment MUST be replicated==. The ultimate goal of science is having the truth come out, and discovering the universe for what it is and not what you want it to be. Honesty is built into science, as well as community.

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• Scientific fact: ==repeatedly confirmed observation== agreed upon by competent observers
• Scientific hypothesis: A ==temporary explanation== for an observable phenomenon that is testable
• Scientific law: A ==descriptive generalization== about the nature of the physical world (EX: Law of Gravity)
• Scientific Theory: A ==well-tested explanation== that unifies a broad range of observations within the natural world

Science, Art, and Technology

Around 1500 AD, the world’s population boomed because of technology. Societies benefited from each other. When growth isn’t scaled back, resources begin to dwindle. However, ==greater discoveries always lead to better technology.==

We must be careful with the technology we create. We created fossil fuels with technology, and we must make more technology to fix the mistake.

No wars are ever fought over science.

Skepticism and Denialism

Scientists should be skeptics, but not denialists.

• Skepticism: unsubstantiated claims hold no value
• Denialism: Substantiated claims hold no value.

All evidence is subject to interpretation, depending on our own values and beliefs. It is hard for us to see things for what they are.

• Over 60% of people don’t know antibiotics can’t destroy viruses (bacteria become immune to antibiotics)

Physics: the study of the rules of nature and the most foundational of all the sciences

Biology: the most complex science