Introduction to Earth Science Doing Science

 Scientific method – a systemic approach to answering questions about the natural world  Sufficient observation reveals patterns that provide clues to the origin and history of Earth  Assumes that the components of the universe interact in consistent, predictable ways  Observations aid in predicting future events in the earth systems and the universe

From Observation to Hypothesis  Observations shape ideas  Hypothesis – testable explanation of facts or observations  Valid scientific observations are able to be measured and confirmed by others  empirical

Inductive and Deductive Reasoning  Scientific hypothesis is developed to provide a potential explanation of observations  Two basic procedures for generating and testing hypotheses  Inductive reasoning – occurs when scientists draw conclusions from specific observations  - drawing a general conclusion from specific observations  Deductive reasoning – using a general principle to reach a specific conclusion

From Hypothesis to Theory  The best hypothesis are logical can be readily tested by experiment or by more observations  Scientific theory – a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and tested hypotheses

The Characteristics of Good Science  Good science - The willingness to continually question prevailing ideas and to modify or discard them as new information becomes available  Four basic principles of good science  Scientific explanations are provisional (tentative) and can and do change  Scientific explanations should be predictable and testable  Scientific explanations are based on observations or experiments and are reproducible  A valid scientific hypothesis offers a well-defined natural cause or mechanism to explain a natural event

Limitations of Science  Science cannot answer all questions  May be limited by things such as available technology  Science cannot resolve matters of religion or ethics  Science can answer the question of “Can we clone humans?”  Science cannot answer the question of “Should we clone humans?”

The Characteristics of Bad Science  Signs an argument is not based on good science  Attack the scientist, not the science  Argue from authority  Confusion over cause and effect  Using bad statistics  Not using a peer-review process to let other scientists review the work prior to publication  Good science is reproducible