Nature of Science 1

What is Science?

• Get into groups of 3 or 4• Brainstorm what you think science actually isYou have about 5 minutes

• Change groups• Now, using your previous spider-diagram think

about the similarities and differences between the various strands of science:– Physical Sciences (physics, chemistry)– Life Sciences (biology, bits of psychology)– Earth Sciences (ecology, geology, oceanography,

meteorology, astronomy)

You have about 5 minutes

• Change groups again• Using your 3 previous spider-diagrams think about

the similarities and differences between the natural sciences and the humanities (human sciences), arts and maths (formal sciences)

You have about 5 minutes

• Return to your original groups and add to your original spider-diagram

• Pick out 2 or 3 of the most important points• And try to use them to make a definition of scienceYou have about 5 minutes

A definition of Science

• Pass your definitions around• What do they have in common?• Can we come up with a class definition?

Some more definitions of Science“Organised common sense” TH Huxley

“Study of what is true about the real world, with emphasis on methodology and not body of knowledge” Richard Dawkins

“The pursuit and application of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence.” (The Science Council of UK)

Can you see any issues with these?Is there anything that could be defined as science through this definition that clearly isn’t?

Homework

• Before next lesson:– Watch the Adam Savage TED Talk “How Simple

Ideas Lead to Scientific Discovery”– (on haiku)– Draw a flow chart to describe the process that

Eratosthenes, Fizeau and Feynman followed