What is This Thing Called Science? Lucy E. Zahor. The University of Michigan-Dearborn

Transcription

1 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED SCIENCE? 1 What is This Thing Called Science? Lucy E. Zahor The University of Michigan-Dearborn

2 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED SCIENCE? 2 If you have heard of Dr. Ronald L. Mallett then you probably know that he was one of the first African American physicists. He was inspired by historical scientists such as Einstein and Newton to test the boundaries of the universe. Mallett has been interested in science his entire life, but one traumatic experience really got him sucked in. When Mallett was ten years old, his father died of a heart attack. As a young boy this was very shocking. Everyone deals with death in different ways. Mallett, a young boy interested in science fiction comics, developed his own way to cope. Mallett came up with the idea that if he could build a time machine, he could go back in time and save his father s life. This obviously wasn t a very realistic idea because we know time travel is impossible and at the age of ten, there wasn t much this young boy could do to save his father from a heart attack. But this didn t stop Mallett. His ideas and expectations soared. His father was a television repair man and had taught Mallett much about how electronics worked. Mallett used this knowledge along with what he had seen in comic books to develop the blue prints for a time machine. Because he didn t know much about the physics of time travel yet, Mallett was obviously unsuccessful. However he was confidant. His confidence as a child reminds me of myself at that age. I always assumed that anything was possible. I may have assumed that it was only possible on another planet or in an alternate universe, but I did think that all things could happen if thought of. I wasn t consciously aware of the constraints of the universe. Now that I m older I understand that all things are not possible and that there are things that just don t make physiological sense. Nevertheless, Mallett didn t lose the assumption of all things being possible as he grew up. As Mallett went through high school and college, he kept his ideas of time traveling to himself. He was sure there was a way to do it, he just wasn t sure how yet. Although he had

3 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED SCIENCE? 3 already taken some college courses, Mallett didn t begin studying physics until the summer of He attended Pennsylvania State University. Here in college is where Mallett begins to study and understand the ideas and finding of other scientists. His biggest idol was Albert Einstein. Einstein s ideas taught Mallett much about space and time; two components directly related with time travel. Mallet explains some of Einstein s big ideas that help him answer his own questions. One of the first theories of Einstein that captured Mallett was The Theory of Special Relativity or Twin Paradox. This is the idea that if a person takes a rocket to a star that is twenty-five light years away and is traveling at the speed of light, they will go into the future according to Earth s time. The person in the rocket that is traveling at the speed of light will feel as though they have only been traveling for ten years, however when they return to Earth after a round trip, it will really be fifty years later from the time they left. Although this theory is about time travel, it is the opposite of what Mallett is trying to obtain. Mallett is trying to go into the past, not the future. Even though this is not what he is looking for, this theory helps him to rely more on the idea that time travel is possible. While this isn t achievable for people yet, it is mathematically possible. While Mallett was working on his career in physics, he did not share his idea of time travel with anyone. Being African-American and a non-experienced physicist, he could not risk other people thinking he was crazy. it is best not to be pegged within or outside of your department as a crackpot. (Mallett &Henderson 2006) It wasn t until he became a full-time professor at the University of Connecticut that he could allow others to know what had academically pushed him so far.

4 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED SCIENCE? 4 The way Mallett does science differently from the way that I was taught. He comes up with a theory and then develops equations and experiments to prove it. If his findings don t prove his theory, he changes it. This is almost backwards from what I was taught to do. I was instructed to form a hypothesis, create equations and experiments, and if it was wrong, then it was wrong. Although I learned in later years that it is acceptable that your hypothesis proves to be false, I never thought to alter it in the results of my findings. Another thing that makes Mallet s studies different from mine is that he does a great amount of research. He finds theories and ideas from prestige physicists and others in the field. He looks over the work of others and tries to find a way to tie it to his ideas of time travel and making it possible. He not only researches but almost teaches himself the ways in which these other physicists were thinking as they created these theories. I don t usually do the amount of research he does; he spends weeks reading into other scientists work. Depending on what I am studying, I usually vaguely look at the work of a few sources and form the ideas I find with my own. I don t usually use others studies to teach myself. I usually find someone with similar ideas to mine. I haven t encountered a time in which it is extremely necessary to research in depth as he does so I feel that this will remain a large difference between Mallett and me. An additional way of studying that separates my ideas and experiences with science form Mallett s is that he had motivation to study science. He had a stung emotional tie to the field due to his father s death. Since he was a young boy, all he wanted to do was build a time machine and go back in time and see his father one last time. I cannot relate to this in anyway. I never had a reason to immerse myself into a field of study. I always liked subjects like English and writing but other subjects didn t draw me in like science drew in Mallett. I never had

5 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED SCIENCE? 5 a traumatic occurrence as a child that affected the rest of my life. Therefore, it is difficult to compare the motivations I have towards school with Mallett s motivation towards science. I can completely understand why he has such a drive but I do not feel the same way. The idea of science used to scare me when I was in high school. The thought of hard work, big words and other complicated ideas that I could never understand terrified me. However, as I have approached college level courses I am much more open to learning science. Reading Time Traveler by Dr. Ronald L. Mallett has expanded my interest even more. He explained things about physics in basic ways that made me appreciate the ideas rather than hide from them. I couldn t grasp equations such as until I read this book and he described it clearly. This book along with other elements has changed my view of science. Although Mallett has not traveled through time nor has anyone else, he hasn t given up hope. He is certain that time travel will be possible one day. He also is aware that with this kind of power come negative consequences. When time travel does occur, abuses will naturally arise. As with any new powerful technology, time travel will have to be regulated to prevent ill-usage. It will be up to society to ensure that time travel is used for the benefit of the human race. (Mallett & Henderson 2006) It is important to me that the people such as Mallett who are studying these things understand that it will affect society. Being able to understand science and society and how they fit together is a real challenge. I feel as though my knowledge in blending the two has recently grown. At the beginning of the semester, I was certain that I knew what science was. However, as the term has progressed and I ve read the book on Dr. Mallett I now know this is not true. The explanation of science is different for everyone based on their previous scientific experiences.

6 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED SCIENCE? 6 My ideas and feeling towards science as a child have changed but the simple principle remains: learning how things function together. Mallett is an intriguing person whose book has not only taught me much about physics but also about science in general. I can now understand the importance of holding onto your ideas and pursuing them even when they seem hopeless. I can recognize the significance in studying the work of others in the field and using it to build upon my own knowledge. His book, this class and reflection of my previous science experience have taught me that science varies but is also similar amongst everyone. The ultimate question of What is this thing called science may still go unanswered at the end of this paper because I still cannot find a way to contain everything that science is. Not only is it simple things like why it rains but complicated things like how Twin Paradox works. Science is a broad accumulation of many ideas and theories of our universe and everything in it. It is more than beakers and Bunsen burners and old men in lab coats. However, it is something as realistic as this paper you hold and as fantasy as time travel. The way we interpret science varies from person to person. We all think of science differently based on out past scientific experiences. Everyone who has read a different book on a different scientist has a dissimilar view of what exactly science is. No one is right or wrong but it is our different views of science that brings it into this knot of interesting ideas that it is today.

7 WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED SCIENCE? 7 Reference Mallett, R.L., & Henderson, B. (2006). Time traveler: A scientist s personal mission to make time travel a reality. New York, NY: Thunder s Mouth Press