the power of science and its usefulness

8/6/2019 The Power of Science and Its Usefulness

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By

Oyelami B.O.National Mathematical Centre, Abuja.

The Power of Science and its

Usefulness

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QUOTATION

Science is about problem solving, Gorge Polya, aMathematician once said :"problem solvingmeans finding a way out of a difficulty, a way

around an obstacle, attending an aim which wasnot immediately attainable in the solvingproblem, he ended, it is specific achievement of

intelligence, and intelligence is the specific gift of man"

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yPolya mentioned intelligence being specificto man which is the acquisition of new

knowledge and utilization of the knowledgeto solve problem. The early man wasconfronted with hash weather; how toprotect himself from dangerous animals inhis environment and problems of foodsecurity and good drinking water.

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The Quest for Knowledge

yThe quest for knowledge for man toovercome these obstacles and to

understand things surrounding himhad led to study of Science.

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In the early days of creation, Science,Philosophy and Theology areindistinguishable, but as the body of knowledge becomes larger and larger thebody of knowledge gave rise to sub-disciplines and the definition of Science

became restrictive.

The Origin of Science

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The exact origins of modern Science are difficult to

know as there was no recorded information on theachievement of Science. All we can say is that WilliamWhewell in the 19th Century coined the word

Science². The Wikipedia encyclopedia defines Scienceas a `body of empirical, theoretical and practicalknowledge about natural world, produced by a globalcommunity of researchers making use of scientificmethods, which emphasized the observation,experimentation and explanation of real worldphenomena'

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Science, in short, from modern usage, itcan be said to be body of organizedknowledge, which has been obtained, and is

being obtained, and is constantly beingadded to, by means of scientific methods. Insimple understanding of Science, we can say

it is the pursuit of new knowledge by thismethod which is also termed `Scientificmethods'.

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Pure Science is knowledge, or quest forit, for its own sake. Reduced to thestarkest term. It is nothing more or less

than the frank, through disciplined,exercise of curiosity. Applied Scienceinvolves the use of knowledge so gainedfor practical purposes, generally in theindustry.

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Technology is the application of scientific principles to technicalprocesses and the term can also be

applied the basic principles upon whichsuch processes rest. Though technologyand applied science do overlap to aconsiderable degree they are not quitethe same thing.9



Technology implies Research and a

scientific way of thinking, but inresearch need not necessarily be carriedin a Laboratory, and knowledge isgained, not for its own sake, but as amean to an end, it is coming to use the

words `technology' and `technological'if the element of basic understanding isnot present.

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The glory of Science can best be justifiedif results drawn from it are accurate andvalid. In science there is general

procedure for carrying out investigationto unveil the mystery surrounding anyevent or phenomenon. There is a

general way common to all scientificresearch this is called the scientificcharacter or scientific method.

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The scientific components that madeup scientific method are: Observation

Experimentation Systemization

Hypothesis

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Creation of Science

y Most noble prizes in Science were won onresearches on the creation of the universe. The worduniverse was derived from the old French word

universe, which is derived from the Latin word"Universum. But most common term for"universe" among the ancient Greek philosophers

from Pythagoras onward was (the All), defined as allmatter ( and all spaces, (meaning the World, theCosmos) and Nature as derived from Physics.

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Creation of Science cont«

y The creation of the universe had threefundamental considerations vis-a-vis scientificexplanation, theological and the mythological

considerations.y Christianity and Islam believed that God created

Heaven and Earth in six days and God rested onthe seventh day. The creation of universe by Godhas given to rise to Science and man is occupiedwith the study of God's creation.

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The mythology consideration can be said to belocal science peculiar to people to try toexplain things surrounding them based uponsome superstition or other cultural beliefs and

any mystery that cannot be explained is said tobe `magic'. In a particular culture in northernpart of Nigeria, formation of plateau was

believed to be due to falling of stones from abasket when God sent the angle on errand.

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Some believed that rainbow is causedas a result of a lioness given birth tocub; one form of myths on creation

has it that the world was born fromworld egg.

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Modern era of cosmologyyModern era of cosmology began in 1915

with Albert Einstein's theory of generalrelativity which made it possible to

quantitatively predict the origin, evolutionand conclusion of the universe as a whole.The most accepted scientific theory on

cosmology about creation of the universewas based upon the Big-bang and generalrelativity theories.

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present understanding of the universeyThe present understanding of the

universe consists of three elements; spaceand time, collectively known as space-time or the vacuum, matter and variousforms of energy and momentum

occupying space-time, and the physicallaws that govern the first two

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Definition of Physics, Chemistry &

Biology

yThe study of space-time physical

properties of matter and energy inmodern time is called, physics whilethe study of chemical properties of

matter is Chemistry and the study of the biological (life) component of matter is Biology.

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Dictionary Definition of Science

yThe American heritage dictionary of Science defines Mathematics as `the

Science dealing with the measurement,properties and relationship of qualities,as expressed in numbers or symbols:

From the dictionary definition ,Mathematics is intricately related tostudying of space, time and numbers.

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The Beauty of Science

y The beauty of Science can be best be appreciatedfrom Thomas Jefferson who once talked about asociety in which individuals having acquired a

broad knowledge of topics exercise sound judgment in making personal and politicaldecisions. He said "environmental and

economic issues dominate modern life andbehind them are complex matters of Science,

Technology and Mathematics that call for an

awareness of fundamental principles'22



The Very word Mathematics

yThe very word Mathematics was coinedout of the motto of the school

established by Pythagoras, `All isnumber' it reads. The word mathematicsis simply means learned person,

incidentally today, in our society; it isthe legal people who are called learnedperson

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Science often provides us withfundamental principles and evenplatform for revealing the mysteries of the nature. Big-Bang theory wasintroduced by Georges Lemaitre which

said the universe is expanding. The Earthwas formed as result thermo nucleicreactions at the surface of sun, which led

to formation of matter and life.24



The universe is very large and possiblyinfinite in volume, the observable matteris spread over a space at least 93 billion

light years across. Astronomies believedthat the diameter of a galaxy is about 30,000 light-years and the difference between

two neighboring galaxies are only 3million light years. The universe is about13.7 ± 0.2 Billion years old.

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In the ancient Egypt advances weremade in astronomy, mathematics and

medicine. The knowledge of geometrywas used for surveying and preserving

the layout and land ownership andannual flooding of the river Nile.

Contribution of Science

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In the ancient Athens (1509) important legacies

were made in areas of anatomy, zoology andastronomy. In medicine, Herophilos (335-280BC) was the first to base his conclusion on

dissection of the human body and to describe thenervous system.Galen (129-200 AD) performed many operations

including brain and eye surgeries. Archimedes(287 -265 BC) and Euclid (325 -285 BC)contributed significantly to geometry.

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Indian Contribution to Science

y The Indian philosopher developed atomic theory,including in idea of atoms. The wortz, crucibleand stainless steel were invented India. Aryabhata

(476-550) introduced the trigonometry functionsand tables. Brahmagupa explained theimportance of zero, as both a placeholder and a

decimal digit.S

iddhantaS

hiromani wrote bookson longitudes, diurnal rotation and solar andlunar ellipses.

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Chinese and Arabia Contribution to

sciencey China has a long and rich history of technological contribution.

The four great inventions of ancient China were the compass,gun powder, paper making and printing. In Muslim worldIbn-al-Haylham (Alhazen) contributed to the development of optics.

y In mathematics, the Persian mathematician Muhammad Ibn

Musa al-Khwarizmi whose name was gave to the concept of the algorithm; while the term algebra was derived from al-jabr.Arabia mathematicians also developed decimal point notation.

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Modern scientific contribution cont..

y The history of modern chemistry began with thework of Robert Boyle which distinguished thechemistry from alchemy. The father of modern

chemistry Antoine Lavoisier recognized Oxygenand conservation of mass. John Dalton in 1803formulated the law of mass relationship and

MendelevD

mitri usedD

alton's atomic theory todevelop the periodic table of elements. LinusPauling used quantum mathematics to practicallymodel DNA to probe into the secret of life.

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Some Discoveries in science

yAnton Van Leeuwenhoek accidentallydiscovered microorganisms in a drop of water. Robert Brown discovered a structurewithin the cells-the nucleus.

y Joseph Priestley discovered oxygen; he

produced it in an experiment and describedits roles in combustion and respiration. JanIngemhousz discovers that plants react tosunlight differently then shade.

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Some Discoveries in Science

y Marie and Pierre Cure discovered and isolateradioactive materials Gregor Mendel discovershow genetic information is passed down through

generation and Thomas Hunt Morgan found thatthe gene is located in the chromosomes.

y Alexandra Fleming discovered penicillin which

was the first antibiotic. Edward Jenner performsfirst vaccination against smallpox. The discoveryof nitrous Oxide (Laughing gas) and sulfuricether made surgery easy without pain.

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Some Discoveries in Science

yRobert Gallo and Luc Montagrier independentlydiscover HIV (human immunodeficiency virus)

and were found to be responsible for AIDS

(acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).Charles Babbage was named to be the father of

modern computer for this contribution todevelopment Computer science. The discoveryof internet and GSM had further made Scienceand Technology useful to mankind.

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Some Heroes of Science

yEarly modern Science Isaac Newtoninitiated the classical mechanics which gaveus insight to the laws of nature especiallymotion of heavenly bodies in Newtonframework but more insights were shed inthe Einstein relativity mechanics context.The work of Galileo (Father of modernPhysics) on gravitational pull helps us tounderstand the solar system the more.

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Heroes of science cont«yThe work of Ptolemy (astronomy), Galen

(medicine) and Aristotle (Physics) shed morelight on some natural phenomena. The 17th

century was termed "Age of Reason" and the18th century "Age of Enlightenment", themodern mathematics, physics and technology

were developed in those periods by notablescientists like Newton, Pascal, Leibniz andDescartes.

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Modern Scientific Contribution

y The 19th century witnesses the period of modernscientific revolution. Investing in science andtechnology was critical to ensuring property and

a high quality of life. In 1687, the publication of the principal mathematical by Sir Isaac Newtonled the formation of the classical mechanics.

Planck, Albert Einstein and Niels Borh developedquantum theories to cater for the shortcoming of the Newtonian theory which the quantum theoryexplained that does not hold on small scale.

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The challenges of science in the 20th

century

y The most outstanding challenges of the centuryare the issues of global warming, Energy Crisis

and presence of diseases and syndromes likeMalaria, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and Bird Flu.Global warning had marked degree of rise in the

ocean tidal level, thereby given rise to floodingand submerging of some territories worldwide .

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Another possible life threatening problem is

the nuclear weapons acquisition. We hopesafety and the abuse of nuclear materialswould not threaten the world peace and

there would be not out brake of the thirdworld-war. Another most serious issues in the20th century are the provision of food andsafe drinking water especially for theunderdeveloped countries.

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Science in her glory had contributed

to the development of technology thathad improved the living conditions of

people, but much is still desired to facethe challenges of the 20th century andeven beyond.

Thank you for listening. May God blessyou all.

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References

y Alan Siegel Understanding and misunderstanding thethird international mathematics and science study: whatis at stake and why k-12 education studies matter

.I

nternational Congress of Mathematicians, MadridS

pain2006,Vol iii,1599-1630.

y History of Science: Wikipediaencyclopedia.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe)

y Oyelami B. O. Power of Mathematics. MathematicalCentre Monthly.Vol.2.no.18/19,2006,14-16.

y Oyelami B O :Ode to Mathematics. A Poem publishedin Sage Magazine Vol2,1991.

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References Cont«

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