1 The Nature of Science

Key Ideas Key Terms Why It Matters

V How do scientists explore the world? science Science is applied to
technology the technologies that
V How are the many types of science organized?
are used to build many
V What are scientific theories, and how are they differ- law important things, such
ent from scientific laws? theory as bridges and vehicles.

W hen you have a question about how something works,

how do you find the answer? Generally, scientists describe the
universe by using basic rules, which can be discovered by
careful, methodical study.
How Science Takes Place
V A scientist may perform experiments to find a new
aspect of the natural world, to explain a known phenom-
enon, to check the results of other experiments, or to test
the predictions of current theories.
Imagine that it is 1895 and you are experimenting with
mysterious rays known as cathode rays. These rays were
discovered almost 40 years earlier, but in 1895 no one knows
that they are composed of electrons. To produce the rays,
you pump the air out of a sealed glass tube, which creates
a vacuum. An early version of this type of tube is shown in
Figure 1. You then connect rods inside the tube to an
electrical source. Electric charges flow through the
empty space between the rods and produce the rays.
FLORIDA
SSSCCC.T.Sh1
Sh1b;
Sh1b; SC.Sh
SCC.S
C.Shh1cr
Shh1
SCC Sh7e; SC Sh8ddc
SC.912.N.3.2 Describe the role consensus plays in the
historical development of a theory in any one of the disci-
plines of science; SC.912.N.3.3 Explain that scientific
laws are descriptions of specific relationships under given
conditions in nature, but do not offer explanations for
those relationships; SC.912.N.3.4 Recognize that theories
do not become laws, nor do laws become theories; theo-
ries are well supported explanations and laws are well
supported descriptions; SC.912.N.3.5 Describe the func-
tion of models in science, and identify the wide range of
models used in science; SC.912.N.4.1 Explain how scien-
tific knowledge and reasoning provide an empirically-
based perspective to inform society’s decision making.
Figure 1 An early cathode-ray
tube is shown on the left. A
television picture tube, on the
right, is a form of the same
cathode-ray tube.

Cathode-ray tube
Metal rod Metal rod