2. Chapter 1: The Scientific Method

Question 1

What is science?

don’t need to know exact definition but must understand term

Answer 1

A coherent body of knowledge related to certain categories of facts, objects or phenomena obeying laws that are verifiable through experimental methods.

Question 2

What is the aim of scientific inquiry?

Answer 2

To acquire new knowledge.

Question 3

What are the two approaches of science?

Answer 3

1. Description-based: describes nature

2. Hypothesis-based: explaining nature

Question 4

What are the types of scientific reasoning (scientific method)?

Answer 4

1. Inductive reasoning

2. Deductive reasoning

Question 5

What is inductive reasoning and what scientific approach is linked to it?

Answer 5

Inductive reasoning is linked to a descriptive-based approach: where you make a generalization often based on numerous specific
observations.
particular–>general.

Question 6

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 6

Deductive reasoning is linked to a hypothesis-based approach: involves stating a hypothesis and drawing conclusions after performing tests (experimentation/observation) from this hypothesis
General –>particular.

Question 7

How does scientific inquiry start?

Answer 7

Scientific inquiry starts with one or multiple observations.

Question 8

What must scientific hypotheses be?

Answer 8

Scientific hypotheses must be:

1. Verifiable
2. Refutable
3. Reproducible

Question 9

A hypothesis gives you..

Answer 9

..a prediction

Question 10

A prediction can be made from..

Answer 10

..a hypothesis

Question 11

What must a prediction satisfy?

Answer 11

1. must be TESTABLE
2. give a CLEAR RESULT
3. If-then statement

Question 12

What must a hypothesis satisfy?

Answer 12

1. Can be falsified or not falsified

2. Never be proven as scientific truth

Question 13

What is the scientific process?

Answer 13

1. Observation
2. Hypothesis
3. Predictions
4. Tests
   5a. Hypothesis: refuted
   6a. Additional tests
   5b. Hypothesis: not refuted
   6b. New hypothesis

Question 14

What is the contract between science and knowledge?

Answer 14

1. Skepticism
2. Realism
3. Rationality
4. Methodological Materialism

Question 15

What is skepticism?

Have understanding of term

Answer 15

An initial skepticism on facts. We ask honest questions on facts and hypothesis and retest what has been found?

Question 16

What is realism?

Have understanding of term

Answer 16

The world is older and exists independently from my

perception of it (the realm of ideas does not have the priority over the real world)

Question 17

What is rationality? Types?

Have understanding of term

Answer 17

1. Logic: demonstrations from a scientist must be the result of coherent steps.
2. Parsimony: methodological principle which states that acceptable theories are hypothetically the most economical in assumptions.

Question 18

What is methodological materialism?

Have understanding of term

Answer 18

All that is experimentally accessible in the real world is material or has a material origin.

Question 19

Define logic

Answer 19

demonstrations from a scientist must be the result of COHERENT steps

Question 20

Define parsimony

Answer 20

A methodological principle which states that

acceptable theories are hypothetically the most economical in assumptions.