Concepts in Physical Science - Essay Example

Concept in Science Part I: Multiple Choice Select the best response to each of the following multiple choice questions: Examination The scientific method is used every day in solving common problems. Suppose that the lights suddenly go off in your house. Which of the following is a sensible hypothesis for the lights going out? A. All of the light bulbs in the house have blown out. B. The power pole that feeds your house has toppled over. C. The electricity gremlins are at work again D. A circuit breaker (or fuse) has burned out in your house 2. Which of the following is not a suitable question for the scientific method? A. the beauty of a piece of music B. the action of a medicine on a disease C. the effect of tidal action on beach erosion D. the origin of life on Earth 3. Which of the following is true about a control group in an experiment? A. A control group is not usually necessary in an experiment. B. The control group differs from the experimental group only in the element being tested in the experiment. C. The control is not subject to experimental errors. D. The control group is treated exactly the same as the experimental group 4. When scientists apply the scientific method to problems A. more questions may be generated B. whole theories may be changed or rejected. C. more hypotheses may be generated D. all of the above 5. The scientific method A. was invented by the Greek philosopher, Plato. B. is restricted to use in scientific laboratories C. is sometimes likened to intelligent problem solving D. cannot be used to solve everyday problems 6. If a theory has been tested extensively and seems to apply everywhere in the universe, we call it A. a supernatural theory B. a universal theory C. a universal hypothesis D. a law of nature 7. Which of the following is not true of science? A. It is a powerful tool to help understand how our world works B. It provides a framework for learning more about how our universe behaves C. It provides a way to arrive at ultimate truths D. It helps to understand how we interact with our environment. 8. Which of the following is best referred to as a pseudoscience? A. geology B. astrology C. astronomy D. chemistry 9. Which of the following statements is true: A. Scientists are never 100 percent sure about most of the conclusions that result from their observations and experiments. B. Scientists never use theories unless they have been upheld by overwhelming evidence C. Scientific theories represent known truth that has been proven by numerous experiments, and they can never be proven false. D. Science is the eternal search for absolute truth 10. Which of the following is not usually a part of a scientific investigation? A. falsifiable hypotheses B. absolute truth C. prediction of new facts D. experimentation 11. A solution proposed for a problem that is reasonable, but untested could be called A. a prediction B. a theory C. a conclusion D. a hypothesis 12. The application of scientific information to commercial or industrial enterprises is A. an experiment B. the scientific method C. technology D. a hypothesis 13. After repeated experiments, scientists will usually arrive at a comprehensive explanation for a problem. That explanation is called A. a theory B. a hypothesis C. a prediction D. a law 14. The branch of science that studies atoms in combination is A. geology B. physics C. biology D. chemistry 15. Power is expressed in A. newtons B. joules. C. calories D. watts 16. Energy is expressed in A. newtons. B. joules. C. calories D. watts 17. The amount of work done, divided by the time it takes to do it, is defined as A. power B. energy C. force. D. potential energy 18. The amount of work performed when you exert a force of one newton through a distance of one meter is: A. one watt B. one calorie C. one joule D. one horsepower 19. Which of the following is not a fossil fuel? A. coal B. wood C. petroleum D. natural gas 20. Energy is defined as A. the amount of force applied through a distance B. the ability to do work. C. the product of mass times acceleration D. the amount of work done per unit time 21. The rating of a light bulb at 100 watts indicates A. the length of time before the bulb burns out B. the amount of heat that radiates from the bulb C. the rate of energy that the bulb consumes D. the amount of light the bulb produces. 22. Force times distance equals A. work B. power C. energy D. acceleration. 23. In place of the kilowatt, a metric unit, the English system uses the unit A. joule B. Newton C. horsepower D. calorie 24. Which type of energy is involved when a baseball bat hits a ball? A. potential energy B. thermal energy C. wave energy D. kinetic energy 25. The energy that is present in the gasoline in your automobiles fuel tank is Chemical energy Part II: Essay questions 1) What are the concepts, methods, laws, and history of thought in physical science? Analyze selected topics in physics chemistry, astronomy, and earth science. A strict methodology can suffocate the method of inquiry (Kaiser, 1997). Scientific method (history of thought) in physical science is different from the general scientific history. The development process for the evolution of scientific reasoning and thought process was not invented out of thin air. It improved and developed over time. There was an early methodology where the majority of investigations were made into nature. Examining, diagnosing, treating and giving a prognosis is considered one of the earliest scientific thought process. Aristotle is considered the founder of scientific method. He gave the ingredients of the scientific tradition otherwise known as empiricism. According to the Greek philosopher the universal truths could be found from certain things through induction. Aristotle’s way of scientific reasoning was not empirical in its true form. The implication in his thought was that knowledge obtained through induction could not be considered scientific knowledge. But the process of induction is necessary for scientific inquiry. One of the greatest physicists is the Arab Ibn-al-Haitham. He used experimentation for his Book of Optics. By combining observations rational arguments and experimentation he supported the theory of vision. He corrected the preconceived notion by stating that the rays of light are emitted from objects rather than coming from the eyes. He rejected the old theories of Ptolemy and Euclid about the theory of vision. He also corrected Aristotle’s theory where he had claimed that objects emit physical particles towards the eyes. During the first millennium BC Babylonian astronomy evolved into the most successful examples of scientific astronomy. This method of astronomical study was the first successful attempt at refining the mathematical description of astronomical movements. All further developments in astronomy by the Islamic world and the Indian scientists was made possible due to such research. During the middle of the fifth century BC other great philosophers like Plato mentioned teaching arithmetic, astronomy and geometry. The field of chemistry is as ancient as the scientific thought process itself. The earliest record of using metals by humans appears to be gold. It is usually found free or raw in nature and does not include chemical processing to obtain it. It also means that other metals like silver, tin, copper and iron (also found raw in nature) gave the earliest humans an opportunity to work with metals. Democritus was a Greek philosopher who founded the atomistic school where he worked on finding the reasons why different substances had different properties and why they existed in different states. While trying to find the answers to such questions it led those philosophers to formulate theories based on nature and chemistry. 2) What are the major developments of inquiry and verification practiced in the humanities and sciences? Inquiry is a term that represents the process of focused questions and research methods. The purpose here is to reach a reasonable conclusion even though the process of inquiry itself is important to the learner. The method of inquiry is an accepted learning and teaching approach in disciplines of primary humanities; history, geography and pedagogical context. The idea of generating and testing models, generalizations and theories, is accepted in inductive and deductive reasoning. This process is used by students in any aspect of enquiry. Both forms, deductive and inductive, can be used to test and formulate a hypothesis but both have distinct ways for achieving that. Primary humanities like the subjects of history and geography have mythology mixed in them, which is why it becomes twice as important to use scientific methods of inquiry and verification to reach the objective truth. King Harold’s death at the battle of Castings in 1066 is a prime example (Pickford et al. 2013). Common sense has it that he passed away as a result of an arrow hitting him that went straight through his eye (Pickford et al. 2013). Evidence for this incident is the depiction in historical figure by an unidentified soldier among a group of others. Underneath a Latin caption reads ‘King Harold was killed’ (Pickford et al. 2013). In geography the Cascades and Whitewater hold mythological stories about them; the upper stages of a river flows the fastest. In reality water in the middle of the wide river is supposed to flow much faster because it is unaffected by the friction with the bed or the riverside. This is why that all of inquiry into myths about humanities becomes important. 3) What is the creation of the universe and the human role within? Scientific studies suggest that the universe was created as a result of the Big Bang. This is a theory that so far has not been rejected. The most notable scientists in the study of the formation of universe is probably the British scientist Stephen Hawkins. In A Brief History of Time (1988) he accepted the presence of a deity or a creator in the formation of the universe however, in his recent work The Grand Design the scientist claims that the presence of a creator in the formation of universe is not necessary (Gabbatt, 2010). The question about the creation of universe and the human role within is highly subjective and debatable. It ventures into the religious territories and beliefs that are dear to mass population in the world. This question is the key to either agreeing or disagreeing between science and religion. It also probes the dilemma whether there is a God or not. If there is an architect does that imply that he created the universe? But scientifically speaking the universe is way too huge for humans to play a significant role in it. Scientifically the creation of humans is nothing but a probability. Organisms found the right temperature in an environment where they would reproduce on a planet called Earth. The perfect temperature and the amount of water to produce and reproduce life started supporting life. Also, the probability is so thin that in the whole universe only a tiny dot like Earth has life. References Gabbatt, A. (2010) Stephen Hawking says universe not created by god. The Guardian. http://www.theguardian.com/science/2010/sep/02/stephen-hawking-big-bang-creator Kaiser, C. B. (1997) Creational theology and the history of physical science: The creationist tradition from Basil to Bohr. NY: BRILL. Pickford, T. Garner, W. & Jackson, E. (2013) Primary humanities: Learning through enquiry. London: SAGE. Read More