PHYS 1023 Lecture 1: Chapter 1
24 Aug 2016
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Chapter 1: the way of science, experience and reason. No: go back to the hypothesis step. Astronomy (3000 bce 0 ce: observation. Planes move at different rates retrograde. Detailed measurements show need for small corrections: theory. Astronomy (0 ce present: observation. Detailed measurements show need for small corrections. Brahe very accurate measurement contradict ptolemy and copernicus. How does physics work: observation, hypothesis, test hypothesis (more observation, experiment) Test contradicts hypothesis, get a new one. Test agrees: theory, test theory (more observation) Test agrees: stronger theory, keep testing. If there is a contradiction, throw out the theory, not the data (unless you nd a. Scienti c process 2: science is a process, a way of learning, rather than a set of conclusions. It is the process of using evidence (experiments and observations) and reason (hypotheses and theories that correlate the evidence) to develop testable knowledge about the natural world.
