The Nature of Science What is Science..?

So, what is Science, really? Science is both a body of knowledge and a process of discovery. Science is exciting, useful, and ongoing (the journey never ends)

Science Checklist: Science observes and asks questions about the natural world. Science aims to explain how the natural world works. Science uses testable ideas. Science relies on evidence. Science depends on interactions within the scientific community. Science only works because the people involved with it behave “scientifically.” This means they perform rigorous testing, communicate results, and act with scientific integrity.

Science has limits: things science does not do… Science doesn't make moral judgments. Science doesn't tell you how to use scientific knowledge. Science doesn't draw conclusions about supernatural explanations.

We DO Science all the time! Some psychologists argue that the way individual humans learn (especially as children) bears a lot of similarity to the progress of science: both involve making observations, considering evidence, testing ideas, and holding on to those that work. You “DO” science everyday without really noticing it.

The Scientific Method! It seems like a linear equation, but in reality…

The Scientific Method is dynamic, flexible, and unpredic-table!

There are many routes into the process, The scientific community helps ensure science's accuracy. But scientific testing is always at the heart. And the process of science is always intertwined with society

Testing Scientific Ideas Testing hypotheses and theories is at the core of the process of science. Ideas are supported when actual observations (i.e., results) match expected observations and are contradicted when they do not match.

DATA Tests (experiments) typically generate what scientists think of as raw data, which must be analyzed and interpreted. Data: unaltered observations, descriptions, or measurements Data become evidence only when they have been interpreted in a way that reflects on the accuracy or inaccuracy of a scientific idea. Furthermore, the same data may be interpreted in different ways, although the scientific community will ultimately come to a consensus about how a set of data should be interpreted

Reviewing test results Scientists typically weigh multiple competing ideas about how something works and try to figure out which of those is most accurate based on the evidence. Evidence may lend support to one hypothesis over others. Evidence may help rule out some hypotheses. Evidence may lead to the revision of a hypothesis. Evidence may be so surprising that a wholly new hypothesis or new research question is inspired. Evidence may be inconclusive, failing to support any particular explanation over another.

Analysis within the scientific community Interactions within the scientific community are essential components of the process of science. Though they sometimes work alone (fussing over an experiment in the lab, trekking through the Amazon, scribbling on a notepad at a desk), scientists are just as likely to be found emailing colleagues, arguing with other scientists over coffee, sitting in on a lab meeting, or preparing conference presentations and journal articles. Even those few working entirely on their own must ultimately share their work for it to become part of the lasting body of scientific knowledge.

Hypotheses & Theories Hypotheses are proposed explanations for a fairly narrow set of phenomena.  When scientists formulate new hypotheses, they are usually based on prior experience, scientific background knowledge, preliminary observations, and logic. Theories, on the other hand, are broad explanations for a wide range of phenomena. Theories are concise, coherent, systematic, predictive, and broadly applicable. To be accepted they must be supported by many lines of evidence.

Scientific Arguments Scientific arguments are an evidence-based line of reasoning. Scientific arguments involve three components: the idea (a hypothesis or theory) the expectations generated by that idea (frequently called predictions) the evidence (the actual observations relevant to those expectations)