The Scientific Method- also known as Inductivism 1. observation 2 The Scientific Method- also known as Inductivism 1. observation 2. hypothesis 3. experiment 4. law 5. theory
A good experiment will have the following: controllability, measurability and repeatability
A good scientific statement - must be clearly stated - does not have ad hoc exceptions
Problems with Observations: 1 Problems with Observations: 1. relevance- it is difficult to decide what is relevant and what is not 2. expectations- our expectations can influence what we see 3. expert seeing- scientific equipment has its shortcomings 4. the observer effect- the act of observation can affect the observation
Problems with Testing Hypothesis: 1 Problems with Testing Hypothesis: 1. confirmation bias- looking for answers that confirm your suspicions 2. background assumptions- unfounded assumptions based on the nature of things
Many different hypotheses are consistent with a given set of data Many different hypotheses are consistent with a given set of data. How, then, do we select the correct hypothesis?
The scientific method is also known as Inductivism, which is based on induction. What is the problem with this?
Inductive reasoning goes from specific to general Inductive reasoning goes from specific to general. From the observed to the unobserved. Therefore, we make a generalization about something.
The 3 most well known scientific paradigms: Newtonian Mechanics (physics) Atomic Theory (chemistry) Evolutionary Theory (biology)