http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Introduction to Physical Science
1.1 Nature of Science
- Define science.
- Explain the goal of science.
- Describe how science advances knowledge.
- Design a scientific experiment.
Does the wordsciencemake you think of high-tech labs and researchers in white coats like the ones in this picture?
This is often an accurate image of science but not always. If you look up science in a dictionary, you would find that
it comes from a Latin word that means “having knowledge.” However, this isn’t an adequate definition either.
What Is Science?
Science is more about gaining knowledge than it is about simply having knowledge.Scienceis a way of learning
about the natural world that is based on evidence and logic. In other words, science is a process, not just a body of
facts. Through the process of science, our knowledge of the world advances.
The Goal of Science
Scientists may focus on very different aspects of the natural world. For example, some scientists focus on the world
of tiny objects, such as atoms and molecules. Other scientists devote their attention to huge objects, such as the sun
and other stars. But all scientists have at least one thing in common. They want to understand how and why things
happen. Achieving this understanding is the goal of science.
Have you ever experienced the thrill of an exciting fireworks show like the one pictured in theFigure1.1? Fireworks
show how the goal of science leads to discovery. Fireworks were invented at least 2000 years ago in China, but
explaining how and why they work didn’t happen until much later. It wasn’t until scientists had learned about
elements and chemical reactions that they could explain what caused fireworks to create brilliant bursts of light and
deep rumbling booms.