Part 3: what is science?

Task 22. Listen to the recording. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.

Complete the admission tutor’s notes below.

ADMISSION TUTOR’S NOTES
Student’s Name	Robert Johnson
Subject to study	(21) _____________
Why this subject	Always interested Father’s field At school, good at mathematics and (22) ____________
Gap year	Worked and travelled in Australia and New Zealand
Jobs during Gap Year	(23) ______________________ Pub work (24) ______________________ Building site
Why Westley University	Department has (25) ____________ Graduates from Westley get jobs in industry quickly Near Snowdonia for (26) ________________ Likes football - Westley has lots of teams

Task 23. Share your opinion with your peers.

a) What is science?

b) What branch of science are you interested in?

c) Who are the most famous scientists in your branch?

Task 24. Read the following text quickly and fill in the table. What do these dates given in the table refer to?

1840
1896
1852-1909
1867-1934
1859-1906
July 1898
December 1898

What is science?

Science is a cumulative body of knowledge about the natural world, obtained by the application of a particular method practised by the scientist. The word science itself is derived from the Latin scire, to know, to have knowledge of, to experience. Technology is the fruit of applied science: it is the concrete expression of research done in the laboratory and applied to manufacturing commodities to meet human needs. The word scientist was introduced only in 1840 by William Whewell, Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Cambridge. (Whewell was a friend of Faraday, and helped him in inventing the terminology of electrochemistry.) In his Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences, he wrote: "We need a name to describe a cultivator of science in general. I should be inclined to call him a scientist." The "cultivators of science" before 1840 were known as "natural philosophers". The founders of the 300-year-old Royal Society were typical "natural philosophers". They were curious, often eccentric, persons who poked inquiring fingers at nature. In the process of doing so they started a technique of inquiry we know today as "the scientific method".

Briefly, these are the steps in "the method". First comes the thought that sparks off the inquiry. (For example, in 1896, the physicist Henri Becquerel (1852-1909), in communications to the French Academy of Sciences, stated that lie found that uranium salts emitted spontaneously rays of unknown nature. His discovery excited Marie Curie (1867-1934). With her husband Pierre (1859-1906), she wanted to know more about this radiation. What was it exactly, and where did it come from?)

Second comes the collecting of facts: the techniques of doing this will differ according to the problem to be solved. But it is based on experiment in which you may use anything from a test-tube to an earth satellite to gather the essential data. (If you do not know the difficulties which the Curies encountered to gather their facts, as they investigated the mysterious uranium rays, I advise you to read the remarkable story in the book Madame Curie by her daughter Eve.)

This leads to step three: organizing the facts and studying the relationships that emerge. (These rays were different from anything known. How to explain this? Did this radiation come from the atom itself? It might well be that other materials also have the property of emitting this radiation. Mme Curie investigated and found this was so. She invented the word radioactivity for this phenomenon. She followed this with further experimental work on only "active" radio-elements.)

Step four is the statement of a hypothesis or theory: that is, framing a general truth that has emerged, and that may be modified as new facts emerge. (In July 1898, the Curies announced the probable presence in pitchblende ores of a new element endowed with powerful radioactivity. This was the beginning of the discovery of radium.)

Then follows the clearer statement of the theory. (In December 1898, the Curies reported to the Academy of Sciences: "The various reasons we have enumerated lead us to believe that the new radioactive substance contains a new element to which we propose to give the name of Radium. The new radioactive substance certainly contains a very strong proportion of barium; in spite of that its radioactivity is considerable. The radioactivity of radium therefore must be enormous."

And the final step is the practical test of the theory - the prediction of new facts. This is essential, because from this flows the possibility of control by man of the forces of nature that are newly revealed.

Note how Marie Curie used deductive reasoning in order to push on. This kind of detective work is basic to the methodology of science. Further, that she was concerned with probability - and not certainty - in her investigations. Also, although the Curies were doing the basic research work at great expense to themselves in hard physical toil, they knew that they were part of an international group of people all concerned with their search for truth. Their reports were published and immediately examined by scientists all over the world. Any flaws in their argument would be pointed out to them immediately.

(From The Young Scientist's Companion, Souvenir Press, London, 1961)

Task 25. Make a collocation using the words from the list, then make sentences using the completed phrases.

Essential, unknown, clear, applied, deductive, eccentric, manufacturing, experimental, practical, cumulative,

___________ body of knowledge; _____________ commodities;

___________ science _____________ nature;

___________ test _____________ work;

___________ reasoning; _____________ statement;

____________ data; _____________ person.

Task 26. Fill in the gaps with the words from the list. Use each word only once. You may need to change the form of the word.

Practice (n), gather (v), alienate (v), examine (v), invention (n), substance (n), predict (v), discover (v), inquire (v), pertinent (adj), flaw (n), modify (v), target (v), apply (v), meet (v).

1. Science is a cumulative body of knowledge about the natural world, obtained by the ___________ of a particular method.

2. This method is widely __________ by the scientists.

3. The research done in the laboratory and applied to manufacturing commodities to __________ human needs.

4. Any ___________ in their argument would be pointed out to them immediately.

5. The audience is comprised of the audience(s) the writer or the speaker is ___________ or addressing a message to.

6. As far as I can understand this report contains __________ information the committee needs to know.

7. If the writers or the speakers choose the wrong level of formality and language, they will probably ____________ their audiences.

8. His _________ excited other scientists.

9. In the process of doing so the “natural phylosophers” started a technique of ___________we know today as "the scientific method".

10. The technique of collecting facts is based on experiment in which you may use anything from a test-tube to an earth satellite to ____________ the essential data.

11. The new radioactive _____________ contains a new element.

12. The final step is the practical test of the theory - the ____________ of new facts.

13. She _______________ the term radioactivity for this phenomenon.

14. Their reports were immediately ___________ by scientists all over the world.

15. The hypothesis may be ______________ as new facts emerge.

Task 27. In each sentence below, decide which word in bold is more suitable.

1. In many parts of the world, people are becoming more worried about the danger of new technologies and their effect on the environment/ecology.

2. Experts from different countries evaluated/judged the new discovery.

3. This kind of detective work is basic to the methodology/method of science.

4. The new theory has occurred/taken place.

5. It is now possible to infer/imply a link between using new technologies and contracting some forms of cancer.

6. The main concentration/focus of scientists is on problem concerning new technologies.

7. Although their plan/design was often very good, the quality of those devices tended to be poor.

8. Although it was very expensive, the scientists continued to convert/exchange some forms of energy into other forms.

9. The fact that population growth is still accelerating/catching up is one of the most important problems we face.

Task 28. Find the synonym to the words in bold

Task 29. Choose the best ending for each of the sentence extracts (1 – 10) from the list (a – j)

Task 30. (Out-class activity) Make a short presentation (5 slides) of your branch of science using the phrases

The name of the branch of science you are interested in

How was it developed (an interesting fact from the history of the branch)?

Well-known scientists (1-2)

Famous discoveries

The widely used techniques and methodologies in the field where you are planning to do research