Introduction. The activity

Transcription

1 Teacher Ntes Intrductin The shift frm the gecentric t helicentric accunts f ur surrundings is ne f the greatest shifts ever made in human thinking, nt least because it verthrew the authrity f ld bks as the fundatin f knwledge, and replaced it with the authrity f bservatin. Indeed, it made authrity fr ever subject t questin. It is imprtant, then, that students questin the authrity f science, and understand its limitatins as well as its unprecedented predictive pwer. This activity deals with the key wrds that are necessary fr this understanding. The activity Resurces Student briefing sheet Appendix A, cpied and cut int cards f equal size Hw Science Wrks Students match definitins f wrds, n Meaning Cards, with Key Wrd Cards, and then match example statements t these. Cmments n the applicatin f HSW ideas in this activity. Ca, Cb, Cc, Cd Appendix A prvides the set f cards, and Appendix B shws a set f pssible clumns prviding answers. Nte that several pints can This activity uses the cntext appear in mre than ne clumn. The distinctin between and f the Cpernican Revlutin, bservatin and a law, fr example, is nt always ttally clear, and while after which all later revlutins a thery may cntain a mdel, and even be indistinguishable frm it, a are named, t explre the heart f Hw Science Wrks. mdel may nt cntain a thery. Several placings that we have made here may be cntentius, and abslute agreement is nt expected. The discussin f uncertainties is part f the learning prcess, and if students are left with lingering uncertainty they are n different frm the entire cmmunities f scientists and philsphers f science. In particular, we have left the Truth clumn empty thugh a case can be made fr placing sme cards here. This culd lead t a discussin f whether it is justified t include ideas that are nly prvisinal as truth. (The pprtunity exists fr discussin f whether abslute truth exists at all, and if s then what its nature is, but this is fr philsphical enthusiasts.) The main pint is that, fr cnsidering the behaviur f the bservable wrld, scientific truth is limited but is the best that is available. July 2008 Page 1 The Nuffield Fundatin, 2008

2 Intrductin Befre yu can understand any ideas, whether they are easy r difficult, it is necessary t understand the key wrds. This activity is abut key wrds relating t scientific knwledge. Activity Wrk in pairs r threes. Shuffle the cards and lay them face up n the table. Find the six Key Wrd Cards and make them int the heads f six clumns. Find the six Meaning Cards and match them t the Key Wrd Cards. Discuss any uncertainties that yu have. Nw place the 18 Example Cards in the apprpriate clumns. Nte that sme clumns will have mre than thers. Sme may be suitable fr placing in mre than ne clumn. Peple may nt always agree. There are nt always crrect answers. Again, discuss any uncertainties that yu have. As a class, discuss: why was the shift frm the gecentric view f the Slar System t the helicentric view s imprtant t the way we live and thing tday? what is meant by prvisinal truth? scientific knwledge has prved t be very useful why is it s useful? is scientific knwledge als meaningful, as well as useful, abut the nature f the wrld and the nature f ur place in it? Page 1 The Nuffield Fundatin, 2008

3 Appendix A s Observatins Predictins Law Mdel Scientific thery Truth s We are all making bservatins all f the time. Measurements using instruments f varying cmplexity are als called bservatins. Fr scientific purpses, bservatins are nly valid if they can be repeated by different peple. A statement abut expected future events based n ur ideas. These are very useful in science because they can be tested, s that the ideas n which they are based can be tested. A statement f patterns f bservatin. Smetimes, in the same circumstances, the same behaviur is seen ver and ver again (until nw). Smething that simulates an bserved reality, in part r in whle, and can prvide useful predictins abut it. the simulatin can be an image r diagram, an idea r a cmputer prgramme. A set f ideas that simulate an bserved reality in whle. They can prvide useful predictins and accunts f links between events we call these accunts explanatins. The set f ideas has been tested by very many bservatins and has always been fund t prvide gd predictins and explanatins. A match f accunt with reality but always prvisinal. Science deals nly with truths that can be checked it deals with prvisinal truth and nt with abslute truth. Page 1 The Nuffield Fundatin, 2008

4 Appendix A (cntinued) s The rbits f the planets are ellipses The crystal spheres f the heavens are perfect and unchanging, and revlve arund the Earth Ptlemy s epicycles A map f Mars, as used fr planning a spacecraft landing Planets mve against a backgrund f stars that remain in the same relative psitins If the helicentric mdel is crrect, there shuld be parallax shift f the stars their relative psitins shuld change due t the mtin f the Earth The Earth is ne planet amngst several, all in rbit arund the Sun Jupiter has mns in rbit arund it The number R 3 /T 2 is the same fr every planet. R is the average distance f the planet frm the Sun, and T is the time fr its rbit Shadws f bjects get lnger as yu mve away frm the equatr Each plant mves in its rbit s that the line jining it t the Sun sweeps ut equal areas in equal times There are muntains n the Mn Asterid 1997 XF11 will pass wrryingly clse t the Earth n Thursday Octber 26, 2028 A lunar eclipse will take place n March 14 th 2025 A cnjunctin f Jupiter and Saturn wuld take place n the night f 24 th August, The next ttal slar eclipse in the UK will be seen in the far suthwest f England n September 23 rd 2090 The gravitatinal frce that a bdy can exert n anther ne decreases with distance frm the bject. The frce decreases steadily as the square f the distance increases. The planets shw retrgrade mtin Page 2 The Nuffield Fundatin, 2008

5 Appendix B sme pssible clumns Observatins Predictins Law Mdel Scientific thery Truth We are all making bservatins all f the time. Measurements using instruments f varying cmplexity are als called bservatins. Fr scientific purpses, bservatins are nly valid if they can be repeated by different peple. A statement abut expected future events based n ur ideas. These are very useful in science because they can be tested, s that the ideas n which they are based can be tested. A statement f patterns f bservatin. Smetimes, in the same circumstances, the same behaviur is seen ver and ver again (until nw). Smething that simulates an bserved reality, in part r in whle, and can prvide useful predictins abut it. the simulatin can be an image r diagram, an idea r a cmputer prgramme. A set f ideas that simulate an bserved reality in whle. They can prvide useful predictins and accunts f links between events we call these accunts explanatins. The set f ideas has been tested by very many bservatins and has always been fund t prvide gd predictins and explanatins. A match f accunt with reality but always prvisinal. Science deals nly with truths that can be checked it deals with prvisinal truth and nt with abslute truth. The rbits f the planets are ellipses Planets mve against a backgrund f stars that remain in the same relative psitins Jupiter has mns in rbit arund it If the helicentric mdel is crrect, there shuld be parallax shift f the stars their relative psitins shuld change due t the mtin f the Earth Shadws f bjects get lnger as yu mve away frm the equatr Asterid 1997 XF11 will pass wrryingly clse t the Earth n Thursday Octber 26, 2028 The rbits f the planets are ellipses The number R 3 /T 2 is the same fr every planet. R is the average distance f the planet frm the Sun, and T is the time fr its rbit Each plant mves in its rbit s that the line jining it t the Sun sweeps ut equal areas in equal times The crystal spheres f the heavens are perfect and unchanging, and revlve arund the Earth Ptlemy s epicycles A map f Mars, as used fr planning a spacecraft landing The crystal spheres f the heavens are perfect and unchanging, and revlve arund the Earth The Earth is ne planet amngst several, all in rbit arund the Sun Shadws f bjects get lnger as yu mve away frm the equatr Each plant mves in its rbit s that the line jining it t the Sun sweeps ut equal areas in equal times A lunar eclipse will take place n March 14 th 2025 A cnjunctin f Jupiter and Saturn wuld take place n the night f 24 th August, The gravitatinal frce that a bdy can exert n anther ne decreases with distance frm the bject. The frce decreases steadily as the square f the distance increases. The Earth is ne planet amngst several, all in rbit arund the Sun Page 3 The Nuffield Fundatin, 2008

6 There are muntains n the Mn The next ttal slar eclipse in the UK will be seen in the far suthwest f England n September 23 rd 2090 The planets shw retrgrade mtin Page 4 The Nuffield Fundatin, 2008