Science is both a body of knowledge and a process

1. 
   What is science?
   

The word "science" probably brings to mind many different pictures: a fat textbook, white lab coats and microscopes, an astronomer peering through a telescope, a naturalist in the rainforest, Einstein's equations scribbled on a chalkboard, the launch of the space shuttle, bubbling beakers …. All of those images reflect some aspect of science, but none of them provides a full picture because science has so many facets:

These images all show an aspect of science, but a complete view of science is more than any particular instance.

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  Science is both a body of knowledge and a process. In school, science may sometimes seem like a collection of isolated and static facts listed in a textbook, but that's only a small part of the story. Just as importantly, science is also a process of discovery that allows us to link isolated facts into coherent and comprehensive understandings of the natural world.
  
• 
  Science is exciting. Science is a way of discovering what's in the universe and how those things work today, how they worked in the past, and how they are likely to work in the future. Scientists are motivated by the thrill of seeing or figuring out something that no one has before.
  
• 
  Science is useful. The knowledge generated by science is powerful and reliable. It can be used to develop new technologies, treat diseases, and deal with many other sorts of problems.
  

2. 
   How many statements to identify the term do you know?
   

Statements

So what makes something a statement?

• 
  Definition: Statements are the kind of sentences that are either true or false.
  

As such, a statement is an assertion that something is or is not the case. A statement is true if what it asserts is the case, and it is false if what it asserts is not the case.

For instance, the stateman

3. 
   Can you mention characteristic features of research?
   

Features of Research

1. 
   Empirical - based on observations and experimentation on theories.
   
2. 
   Systematic - follows orderly and sequential procedure.
   
3. 
   Controlled - all variables except those that are tested/experimented upon are kept constant.
   
4. 
   Employs hypothesis - guides the investigation process
   
5. 
   Analytical - There is critical analysis of all data used so that there is no error in their interpretation
   
6. 
   Objective, Unbiased, & Logical - all findings are logically based on empirical
   
7. 
   Employs quantitative or statistical methods - data are transformed into numerical measures and are treated statistically.
   

4. 
   What types of research do you know?
   

Following are the types of research methods:

Basic research: A basic research definition is data collected to enhance knowledge. The main motivation is knowledge expansion. It is a non-commercial research that doesn’t facilitate in creating or inventing anything. For example: an experiment to determine a simple fact.

Applied research: Applied research focuses on analyzing and solving real-life problems. This type refers to the study that helps solve practical problems using scientific methods. Studies play an important role in solving issues that impact the overall well-being of humans. For example: finding a specific cure for a disease.

Problem oriented research: As the name suggests, problem-oriented research is conducted to understand the exact nature of a problem to find out relevant solutions. The term “problem” refers to multiple choices or issues when analyzing a situation.

For example, revenue of a car company has decreased by 12% in the last year. The following could be the probable causes: there is no optimum production, poor quality of a product, no advertising, or economic conditions.

Problem solving research: This type of research is conducted by companies to understand and resolve their own problems. The problem-solving method uses applied research to find solutions to the existing problems.

Qualitative research: Qualitative research is a process that is about inquiry. It helps create in-depth understanding of problems or issues in their natural settings. This is a non-statistical method.

Qualitative research is heavily dependent on the experience of the researchers and the questions used to probe the sample. The sample size is usually restricted to 6-10 people. Open-ended questions are asked in a manner that encourages answers that lead to another question or group of questions. The purpose of asking open-ended questions is to gather as much information as possible from the sample.

The following are the methods used for qualitative research:

1. 
   One-to-one interview
   
2. 
   Focus groups
   
3. 
   Ethnographic research
   
4. 
   Content/Text Analysis
   
5. 
   Case study research
   

5. 
   What can be tested scientifically?
   

Testing hypotheses and theories is at the core of the process of science. Any aspect of the natural world could be explained in many different ways. It is the job of science to collect all those plausible explanations and to use scientific testing to filter through them, retaining ideas that are supported by the evidence and discarding the others. You can think of scientific testing as occurring in two logical steps: (1) if the idea is correct, what would we expect to see, and (2) does that expectation match what we actually observe? Ideas are supported when actual observations (i.e., results) match expected observations and are contradicted when they do not match.

6. 
   What can you say about the statement “science is both a body of knowledge and a process”?
   
7. 
   Principle 2: If it’s science it’s observable.
   

An event or evidence of an event can be observed by human senses or using tools that extend the senses.Examples:Anole lizards eat live crickets but not dead ones.Some people can contact the dead.

8. 
   4 Principle 3: If it’s science it’s acknowledged to be tentative.
   Explanations are always being revised and corrected as more evidence is obtained.Example:We used to think the sun revolved around the earth: now we know that in this solar system everything revolves around the sun.
   
9. 
   5 What is the effect of alcohol intake on weight gain?
   Bell ringerIndependent variable: alcohol intakeDependent variable: weight gainPurpose question?What is the effect of alcohol intake on weight gain?Hypothesis?If more alcohol leads to greater weight gain, then people who drink more will gain more weight on average than people who do not.
   
10. 
    6 Principle 4: If it’s science, it has predictive capability.
    A theory about the natural cause of an event leads to predictions that can be tested.Example:Without water green plants will die.If you always do your homework, your grades will be better.Non-example:If your birthday is today, you are a Libra and money and love are coming your way.
    
11. 
    7 Principle 5: If it’s science, it must be testable.
    By gathering data through observation or experiment, a hypothesis that is false can be disproven.Example:Flossing your teeth will lead to fewer cavities.Lysol removes bacteria better than 409.Non-example:Salmon are guided back to the waters of their birth to spawn by the spirits of their dead ancestors.
    
12. 
    8 Principle 6: If it’s science, it must involve natural causes
    Science can only use natural causes to explain why an event in the natural world occurs. Supernatural explanations are outside of science.Examples:The force of gravity causes dropped objects to fall.Green plants convert sunlight into energy.Non-example:God created the universe.