STEM Physics

Unit 1 The Nature of Science

Review Questions
Answer each of the follow review questions on a separate sheet of paper. These
questions are intended to help you understand the material weve presented in class.
1. Briey, what is science?
2. Why is physics the most basic of the sciences?
3. Of physics, chemistry, and biology, which science is the least complex? The most
complex? Here at Starrs Mill, which is the hardest? The easiest?
3. Why is mathematics important to science?
4. What was the effect of the discovery three centuries ago that a mathematical
structure underlies nature?
4. Outline the steps of the scientic method.
6. Is all science done using the scientic method?
7. Throughout the ages, what has been the general reaction to new ideas about
established truths?
8. From your study of science already, you might already know several theories which
have been shown to be false. Give at least two (three would be better) examples and
the theory they were replaced with.
9. What does it mean to say that if a hypothesis is scientic, then there must be a test
for proving it wrong?
10. Is it ever possible to prove a scientic theory correct? Why not?
11. What evidence was there that the earth was a sphere? Did the ancients really
believe that the earth was at?
12. Distinguish among a scientic fact, a hypothesis, a law, and a theory.
13. In daily life people are often praised for maintaining some particular point of view, for
the courage of their convictions. A change of mind is seen as a sign of weakness. How
is this different in science?
15. Why do many people believe they must choose between science and religion? What
do you say based on our class discussion?
16. In this chapter, we described how the earths rotation on its axis was once used to
dene the standard unit for time. What other natural phenomena could serve as an
alternative time standard?
17. A hand is dened as 4 inches; a foot is dened as 12 inches. Why should the hand
be any less acceptable as a unit than the foot, which we use all the time?
Think and Explain
1. Which of the following are scientic hypotheses? Explain your choice.
A) Chlorophyll makes grass green?
B) The universe is surrounded by a secnd universe, the existence of which can
not be detected.
C) Tides are caused by the moon
D) Albert Einstein was the greatest physicist of the 20th century.
2. In answer to the question, when a plant grows, where does the material come from?
Aristotle hypothesized by logic that all material came from the soil. Do you consider his
hypothesis to be correct, incorrect, or partially correct? What experiments do you
propose to support your choice?
3. What is probably being misunderstood by a person who says, But thats only a
scientic theory.