Chapter I Introduction to Natural Science

Friday, August 16, 2013 8:22 PM

Lesson 1. Nature and Functions of Science

Science- borrowed from Latin word Scientia, meaning knowledge - Systematized knowledge of any one department of mind or matter (dictionary)
Natural Science- an organized body of knowledge about our world, things and events occurring in nature -rapidly growing body of information, contains tested ideas and concepts based on a relatively small number of basic principles SCIENCE Search for the truth Creative human activity Investigative Empirical Numerical Constancy and Change Encompassing Search for the truth Science is a never ending quest for patterns, relationships, order and meaning in nature "The object of all sciences is to coordinate our experiences and to bring them into a logical system," Albert Einstein To understand the world Discover the workings of nature One of the many avenues that man may pursue to ultimately know the real meaning of his existence Creative Human Activity
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Creative Human Activity Science is result oriented Who's and how's are also important Science is what a scientist does Scientia (knowledge) comes from scire (to know and to learn) Doing science is as creative as painting, composing The success of science is based essentially on individual thought and creativity, but still teamwork is needed for information dissemination, confirmation of ideas and rapid developments on a global scale Investigative Have different approaches in studying science It involves many techniques, methods, approaches and innumerable variations There is no single path to scientific knowledge Empirical Based on what actually happens in nature

Numerical and Mathematical Concepts in Science are limited to those that are measurable Can be expressed through numbers Ex. F=ma, Measurements Constancy and Change The ideas and views are ever changing and ever growing through time Every scientific theory will always remain tentative and subject to further tests no matter how durable it is New observations and more accurate data will challenge existing theories But most are endured (Newton (still used in NASA) and Einstein Relativity) Constancy- discovery of laws of conservation(energy, momentum, charge) Encompassing
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 Science is comprehensive Encompasses a broad range of natural phenomena, from the very fast and tiny (submicroscopic) to the human-sized (macroscopic domain) to the very large (cosmological domain) From lifeless to the living Lesson 2. How Does Science Work?

Science is result oriented and process oriented Scientific attitude- element that unifies the various disciplines of science Scientific Method Problem- recognize and define Hypotheses- tentative statements about the things may be Experiments-may be guided by ideas, perceptions and assumptions of investigator Data- (systematic relationships, regularities, trends) Scientific law- description of natural phenomenon, relationships of measured quantities, how does nature behave Scientific theory- firmly established framework of concepts that are related to another in the form of a scientific law Inductive method- from specific to general Deductive- from general to specific Ability to predict past and future events
Lesson 3. Science and Technology The difference between science and technology is in the motivation for doing the investigation or inquiry. Primary Goals Science: discovering the truth about nature and gaining a better understanding about it Technology: being able to control nature, to manipulate it, answers human needs
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human needs Human Factor Science: has to maintain objectivity, excludes human factor Technology: considers human factor, favorable or harmful effects on human, affects social systems and culture more directly

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Chapter II Ancient Views About Science

Wednesday, August 21, 2013 3:31 PM

Astronomy- oldest science developed by man - From the Greek words meaning "law of stars" - Realm of heavenly bodies, the celestial world
Lesson 1. Ancient Genesis Myths and Cosmological Beliefs Ancient Hebrews The universe consisted of the a) Highest heavens (abode of God) b) Ceiling or firmament (sun, moon, planet, stars) c) The earth (flat round disk at the center, above the ocean with pillars supporting it) d) Hell (place of the dead, under the earth) Early Greek, Hindu, Egyptian and Babylonian views share many common ideas Today Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions believe: a) Universe started at a finite but not too far off time in the past b) God created the universe c) Origin based on cause-effect relationship Babylonian Priest Astrologers a) Identified the sun, moon, planets and stars with gods who controlled man's destiny b) Devoted themselves to studying the motion of heavenly bodies (human affairs and events can be predicted) c) Developed star catalogs d) Precisely measured planetary data Lesson 2. Ancient Notions About Matter and Motion Greeks (esp Aristotle) Believes that the human race had always existed and will exist indefinitely
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indefinitely Focus on the goal of explaining the universe and natural phenomena in terms of natural causes Natural philosophy Were the first to contribute to this field (science) Earth-centered or geocentric theory

Geocentric Theory The universe is divided into worlds or domains a) Celestial, the world of eternal and perfect beings -the sun, moon, planets and stars b) Terrestrial, the world of temporal and corruptible things -the earth and bodies of earth c) Behavior of objects depend on the nature of its composition and its domain (water towards water, land towards land) d) The natural motion of celestial bodies is uniform circular motion e) Natural motion of terrestrial bodies is toward its natural resting place f) There are 4 elements on earth- earth, water, air, fire 1 in celestial world- ether g) Earth has spherical shape, a state of rest, and a position at the center of the universe

Lesson 3. Ptolemy's Geocentric Model Ptolemaic Model (transparent concentric spheres) The whole universe was spherical in shape 1. The outermost sphere is the celestial sphere of the stars 2. The immovable earth is at the very center of the universe 3. On each sphere there is a celestial body moving in a uniform circular motion, about an axis through earth, with different speed and rates of motion Later on because of the difficulty in changes in shapes, brightness and speeds of bodies, retrogade motion
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speeds of bodies, retrogade motion So Ptolemy adopted and perfected devices like the epicycledeferent system and the equant More circles were added Concept of Retrogade Motion Reverse motion of planet- usually west to east, becomes east to west Concept of Epicycle-deferent System Epicycle- small circle connected to the deferent in a single point The point is the center of the epicycle Deferent- big circle, the center is earth At point 1 to 2, goes eastward then 2 to 1 appears the reverse Geocentric model was accepted because of the strong influence of religion and common sense appeal Ancient Greek Theory Plato (Ptolemy?)- uniform circular motion of heavenly bodies - The distance between a heavenly body and the earth was always the same Greek- eccentrics, equants, and epicycles - Physical theory of the universe can be best understood in the context of prior assumption or preconceptions 1. Need for quantitative or measurable observations 2. Uniformity 3. Mathematical and geometrical principles Lesson 4. The Copernican Revolution
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Nikolai Copernicus- heliocentric (sun-centered) - The earth was displaced as the center of the universe - Moving earth just like the other planets (not anymore at rest) - He said the "retrogade motion (Ptolemy) was a consequence of the relative motion of the earth to other planets, no adding of epicycles, the inner planet just seems to catch up with the outer so it looks like the other is moving backward - Still uniform circular motion - Was not agreed upon by religion

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Chapter III Emergence of Physics

Thursday, August 22, 2013 2:32 PM

Lesson 1. Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion Johannes Kepler- embraced heliocentric theory - Associated with Tycho Brahe who passed on his work to him Laws of Planetary Motion Law 1 Law of Orbits The paths of the planets as they move around the sun are ellipses, the sun on one of its foci. Eccentricity- degree of deviation from a circle of ellipses The greater the distance between a to b, the lesser the eccentricity

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