A while ago a friend of mine asked me just what science is. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject but I tried to answer my friends question as best I could and here is what I came up with. Science. Just what do we mean when we say science? It conjures up images of people in white lab coats carefully measuring colorful liquids in odd shaped flasks. A good definition of science is the use of the 'Scientific Method'. A good definition of a scientist is: One who employs the 'Scientific Method'. So just what is this scientific method thing? It begins with the collection of data, by observation and controlled, repeatable experiments that eliminate all the unknown factors. This is the very essence of scientific thought. The next step involves correlating the data to from an hypothesis. An hypothesis is a tentative explanation for an observation, phenomenon, or scientific problem that can be tested by further investigation. So there you have it, that's my answer to my friends question. There is of course more to it. In particular is mathematics, which is the cornerstone of all fields of science and most other fields of study too. Where mathematics is concerned, simply being able to measure something accurately is critical. Without accurate measurement it is impossible to control or repeat an experiment. That being so if you are really interested in science studying mathematics is a good place to start. |
