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Conceptual Physics Lesson 1TRANSCRIPT
Physics
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About Science
• “rules of the game”
• The study of nature’s rules– Star patterns– Weather patterns
• A way of thinking
• A collection of knowledge
Physics Astronomy Chemistry Geology
Physical sciences
Zoology Botany
Biology
Life sciences
Sciences
The Language of Science
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
The Scientific Method
• Recognize problem• Make hypothesis• Predict
consequences• Perform
experiments• Find rule
• Hypothesis– Educated guess
• Principle / Law– Hypotheses tested
by experiments and not contradicted
Aristotle’s hypothesis
• Regarding the free fall of an object
An object twice as heavyfalls twice as fast
Galileo’s experiment
• In the absence of air resistance, all objects fall in the same time
Tower of Pisa, Italy
Theory
• Not hypothesis
• Synthesis of a large body of information
• Includes many verified hypotheses
• Undergoes change
– Atomic theory– Cell theory
Tests of Hypotheses
• Scientific hypothesis can be proven right and wrong
– “The alignment of planets determines the best time for making decisions”
– “Intelligent life exists on other planets”– “Most people stop for red lights”– “No material object can travel faster than light”
Over to you
• Which hypothesis is scientific?
– “Atoms are the smallest particles of matter”;
– “Our universe is surrounded by another universe, which cannot be detected”;
– “Albert Einstein was the greatest physicist of the twentieth century”
Science and Technology
• Science– Answers theoretical questions– A way of knowing
• Technology– Putting science facts to practical use– Interferes with life and nature– A way of doing
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