Science Meets Real Life - Term Paper Example

Running head: Science meets real life Science Meets Real Life Science Meets Real Life PART I: SCIENTIFIC METHOD Scenario You arrive home late at night. You walk up to the front door, unlock it, and reach in to turn on the light switch located just inside the front door. The light does not come on! Now what? 1. State the problem: Why does the light not come on? 2. Collect information: I can come up with possibilities on why the light does not come up: I can call the power company to check if there is a problem with our line; or I can check the fuse box to see if fuses are blown; or I can switch on other lights to check if all the lights do not come on. 3. Hypothesis: The light does not come on because fuses have been shorted. 4. Test the hypothesis: By putting in some new fuses to replace the shorted fuses. 5. Observe data: After fuses are replaced, lights are turned on again and they all light up. 6. Conclusion: The light did not come on because the fuses were shorted and needed to be replaced. Scenario 2: I was about to cook spaghetti for my family, and while opening the can of tomato sauce, the can opener broke. 1. State the Problem: How do I open the can of tomato sauce? 2. Collect information: I looked into my kitchen utensils for sharp materials which I could use to open the can. I checked and I saw that the sharpest instrument I had among these utensils was a knife. 3. Hypothesis: I can open the can of tomato sauce using the kitchen knife. 4. Test the hypothesis: I tried opening the can of tomato sauce using the kitchen knife. 5. Observe data: I successfully opened the can of tomato sauce using the kitchen knife. The method of opening was more tedious and the edges of the can were not as smooth, but the end goal of opening the can was achieved. 6. Conclusion: I can open the can of tomato sauce using the kitchen knife. PART II: WHY I CANNOT LIVE WITH/WITHOUT SCIENCE 1. Describe a typical day in your life from the time you wake up, until the time you go to bed. Describe how science impacts you and your routine throughout the day. My typical day starts off with me waking up to the alarm sounding off at 6:30 am. I get up after about 5 minutes from the time the alarm sounds off. I then go to the kitchen and put coffee on the coffeemaker to brew. While it is brewing, I check for the morning mail and morning paper. I then check what to cook for breakfast. I choose what to cook for breakfast and then proceed to cook it. Once it is cooked, I have my breakfast while reading the morning paper and sipping my coffee. I then wash up the dishes and tidy up the kitchen. Next, I check my wardrobe for clothes to wear for the day. I take a bath and then put on my clothes. After gathering my things, I then proceed to work. I usually get there by 9 am. I take my lunch break at 12 noon, then coffee break at 3:30 pm, and I leave the office by 5 pm. I am home by 5:30 pm and prepare my dinner. After dinner, I wash up and proceed to watch my favorite evening shows. By 10pm, I am ready to go to bed; I check first on my doors and windows to see that they are shut and locked. I read a few chapters of a book until I feel sleepy. Usually, by 11pm, I am already fast asleep. Science impacts significantly on me and on my routine because it helps me make sound decisions. It also helps me resolve issues which I face in my work. In making simple decisions like what to cook for breakfast or dinner, unconsciously, I go through the scientific process. From the problem raised, I gather information, and then come up with a tentative answer to such issue. After testing the effectiveness of the tentative answer, I then make the decision to use or not use such answer. In instances when a particular hypothesis does not answer the questions or issues I raise, then I come up with other answers of solutions to the problem. Science has impacted on my routine in the sense that it has made my activities simpler and more focused. Without science and without the application of the scientific method in my daily activities, my life and my routines would be chaotic and complicated. There would be no order to my activities and I would not be able to get through my routine without interruptions. By failing to resolve one issue, all the proceeding activities for my day would not be accomplished or would not be done within their designated time. For example, if I fail to wake up at 6:30 am, I might be rushing through my morning activities – in the process I might skip through some of my activities or I might forget doing some of them. This would affect the rest of my day and the rest of my activities. 2. How has science improved your quality of life and why? Science has improved the quality of my life because most of the technological advancements we enjoy today in almost all aspects of our lives are a product of science. Most of our labor-saving devices are products of scientific thought – from questions raised and answered through experimentation and hypothesis testing. The progressions that man has made from the old days of farming, then of food storage and trading are the beginnings of science. Man developed a taste for finding new and better ways of accomplishing things. This prompted them to experiment with different ways of making lives easier and better. Centuries of innovations have led us to the current age of industrial and information technology. The old ways of planting and gathering our food have now been discarded and have been made easier by science. Machines have been invented as labor-saving devices; it has allowed us to spend more time in other endeavors and activities. While our work is getting accomplished through these labor-saving devices, we have also more time to relax and enjoy life’s leisure. Through these leisure activities, the quality of our lives has been improved. 3. Are there any negative impacts that science has had? What are they and why? Science has had negative impacts and these impacts have mostly been on our environment. Throughout the various innovations and technological inventions which have been made in the name of science, our environment has suffered the most. In solving our issues on shelter, the trees, vegetation, and the land in general has been used and sometimes indiscriminately by man (Shanahan, 2005). When these trees and vegetation have not been replenished, the lands have been exposed to the elements and have been made vulnerable to the searing heat of the sun and the heavy weight of the rains (Shanahan, 2005). As a result, our indiscriminate use of our lands has resulted to the desertification of lands and in some areas, the erosion of these lands. Due to the loss of our trees, many of our flora and fauna have also been endangered (Fallaria, 2004). Consequently, our ecological balance has been endangered. Our machines, including our automobiles and our factory machines, are run by oil. Oil is a mineral which has been processed through science and which has been used to fuel our machines (Santiago, 2006). These machines enable our transport and the operation of our factories and industries. This oil however is a major producer of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) or greenhouse gases which trap heat in our atmosphere instead of reflecting it out into space (Santiago, 2006). As a result, it has caused the earth’s temperature to be warmer – a phenomenon we now recognize as Global Warming. Studies by scientists have revealed that global warming is causing extreme weather conditions like floods and drought (Santiago, 2006). The oil companies can also mishandle the oil and as a result, we experience oil spills. These spills kill marine life and destroy coastal towns – depriving many people of their livelihood and polluting their waters (Santiago, 2006). 4. Do you believe that you could survive without science? Why or why not? I believe that I cannot survive without science. Currently, even the most basic instinct of survival – to eat – is based on science. For example, if I would find myself lost in the jungle, I actually cannot survive without applying science. In the jungle, I would have to look for edible foods. Without applying science and the scientific method, I cannot find edible food; I would also not be able to cook raw food. Applying science in this situation is about making the right decision about the food I am going to eat and to learn to survive and feed myself until I am rescued. Without applying science and coming up with ways of defending myself against possible predators in the jungle, I would not be able to survive. Without applying science, I would not be rescued. Science would help me think and decide appropriately on how and where to look for help; it would tell me what direction to go in order to be rescued. Without science, I would most likely die from starvation, from eating poisonous berries, from being attacked by wild animals, from injuries, or from dehydration. In the more contemporary context, I would still not be able to survive without science because the world operates through science. If I would not be able to keep up with science and to use the tools of science, I would not be hired for work and would not be able to support myself or my family. 5. How has this course impacted the way you view science? This course has impacted the way I view science in the sense that I am more conscious of its contribution and of its application in my daily activities. This course has helped me appreciate science more. It has however also opened my mind to the need for man to balance scientific interests with our environmental interests. It has made me more conscious of the fact that we are caretakers of our earth. Even as we seek to make our lives easier, we are also destroying our environment. Without the proper precautions, we will continue to deplete our resources to the point where science would not be able to resolve it. This course has opened my mind to the advantages and the disadvantages of science, and how we can all play a part in decreasing the negative impact of science. Works Cited Fallaria, E. (2004) Science Spectrum 6 2004 Ed. New York: Rex Bookstore. Santiago, M. (2006) The ecology of oil: environment, labor, and the Mexican Revolution, 1900- 1938. New York: Cambridge University Press. Shanahan, M. (2005) Climate change tactic could damage environment. Science and Development. Retrieved 10 February 2011 from http://www.scidev.net/en/news/climate-change-tactic-could-damage-environment.html Read More