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The The Scientific Scientific Method Method

The Scientific Method

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Page 1: The Scientific Method

TheTheScientific Scientific

MethodMethod

Page 2: The Scientific Method

The Scientific MethodThe Scientific Method

• “Science is best defined as a careful, disciplined, logical search for knowledge about any and all aspects of the universe, obtained by examination of the best available evidence and always subject to correction and improvement upon discovery of better evidence. What's left is magic - and magic doesn't work.”

(James Randi)

Page 3: The Scientific Method

The Scientific MethodThe Scientific Method

• A better approach to magic is to do experiments and perform careful observations.

• The results of this approach are universal in the sense that they can be reproduced by any skeptic.

Page 4: The Scientific Method

What is the “Scientific Method”? What is the “Scientific Method”?

• The scientific method is the best way yet discovered for winnowing the truth from lies and delusion. The simple version looks something like this:

Page 5: The Scientific Method

THEORY

hypothesis predictionsobservations

tests

consistent

notconsistent?

modifyhypothesis

Page 6: The Scientific Method

What is the “Scientific Method”? What is the “Scientific Method”?

• Advantage of the scientific method.• Results are unprejudiced.• Results are repeatable.

• Which means that.• Conclusions are testable.

Page 7: The Scientific Method

What is the “Scientific Method”? What is the “Scientific Method”?

• The conclusions will hold irrespective of the state of mind, or the religious persuasion, or the state of consciousness of the investigator and/or the subject of the investigation.

Page 8: The Scientific Method

What is the “Scientific Method”? What is the “Scientific Method”?

• Faith, defined as:-

“belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence”,

does not determine whether a scientific theory is adopted or discarded.

Page 9: The Scientific Method

Scientific Laws, Hypotheses, and TheoriesScientific Laws, Hypotheses, and Theories

A mereGuess

Unproved

Lacks credibility

“Just a Theory”

Layman’s Terms

Page 10: The Scientific Method

Scientific Law: Scientific Law:

• A statement of fact.

• Explains an action or set of actions.

• Accepted to be true and universal.

• Can be a single mathematical equation.

Page 11: The Scientific Method

Scientific Laws: Scientific Laws:

• Law of gravity,• Law of thermodynamics,•Hooke’s law of elasticity•Newton’s 2nd Law

Page 12: The Scientific Method

Isaac Newton’s InspirationIsaac Newton’s Inspiration

Nothing yet! How about you

Newton?

Page 13: The Scientific Method

Hypothesis: Hypothesis:

• Educated guess.

• Based upon observation.

• Rational explanation of a phenomenon.

• Not been proved.

• Supported / refuted by experimentation.

Page 14: The Scientific Method

Johannes Kepler’s Uphill BattleJohannes Kepler’s Uphill Battle

So you see, the orbit of a planet is

ellipticalWhat’s an

orbit?

What’s a planet?

What’s elliptical?

Page 15: The Scientific Method

Theory: Theory:

• Explanation of a set of related observations.

• Based upon proven hypotheses.

• Verified multiple times by detached groups of researchers.

Page 16: The Scientific Method

Scientific Laws, Hypotheses, and TheoriesScientific Laws, Hypotheses, and Theories So, what’s the difference between a “Law” and a “Theory”?

• Both are accepted to be true by the scientific community.

• Both are used to make predictions of events.

• Both are used to advance technology.

Page 17: The Scientific Method

Scientific Laws, Hypotheses, and TheoriesScientific Laws, Hypotheses, and Theories

• A theory is much more complex and dynamic

• A theory explains a whole series of related phenomena.

• A law governs a single action.

Page 18: The Scientific Method

Scientific Laws, Hypotheses, and TheoriesScientific Laws, Hypotheses, and Theories

Some scientific theories.

• The theory of evolution.• The theory of relativity.• Quantum theory.

These theories are well documented and proved beyond reasonable doubt.

Page 19: The Scientific Method

AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements• Harris, S (2005) “Johannes Kepler’s uphill battle”

• Larson, G (2005) “Newton’s Inspiration”

• Wudka, J (2005) “The Scientific Method”, phyun5.ucr.edu/~wudka/Physics7/Notes_www/node6.html,viewed on Oct 7th

• Wilson, J (2005) “Scientific Laws, Hypotheses & Theories”, wilstar.com/theories.htm, viewed Oct 7th

• Video Clips taken from “Friends” Episode 3 Season 2, 1996, “The one where Mr. Heckles dies”