• Question: what is the definition of science

    Asked by harrison123 to Daniela, Hannah, Ian, Jono, Mark on 20 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Ian Wilson

      Ian Wilson answered on 20 Jun 2013:


      Hey harrison123,

      Another excellent question, well done!

      I would define science as “The use of intelligent thought and/or experimental testing to learn about aspects of the universe, however big or small, in order to improve personal or global knowledge”.

      The Oxford English Dictionary, on the other hand, says this: “The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment”.

      I think mine’s a bit catchier though 😉

      Ian

    • Photo: Daniela Plana

      Daniela Plana answered on 20 Jun 2013:


      Hey harrison123!

      The word “science” comes from the Latin word for “knowledge”… so essentially science is the study of everything and anything you can think of in order to know more about it. Anything that you do to learn new stuff could be considered science!

      Hope that helps!
      Daniela

    • Photo: Mark Hodson

      Mark Hodson answered on 20 Jun 2013:


      Hi harrison123,

      I reckon science is about asking questions and trying to answer them in a logical fashion.

      Formally as scientists we make statements called hypotheses that say how we think something works and then try and prove the statement wrong (falsify the hypothesis).

      There is some philosophical logic that I don’t quite understand that states that you can never prove your statement is correct, only that it is incorrect. We generally work on the basis that if we have repeatedly failed to prove our hypothesis is incorrect then it is probably correct.

      cheers

      m

    • Photo: Hannah Brotherton

      Hannah Brotherton answered on 21 Jun 2013:


      Hi harrison123 ,
      Science is Life!!!!!

      Science is the asking and the thinking or how everything in the universe, from the oceans to the sun, from the fish to the us humans, came to be and how we work.

      Science uses experiments to answer these questions.
      Scientists are just the puppets that do these experiments 😀

      People think of science as an old professor in a lab coat with a test tube. But I know scientists that have traveled to the deepest parts of the ocean to answer the question….what is down there. I know scientists that have gone to the rainforest jungle to answer the question…how many different frogs are there. I know a scientist that tries to following thunderstorms and lightening to answer the question……is electrical activity in the sky getting worse.

      As long as you are a curious and passionate person, you can become any type of scientist 😀

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