Science
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Science is a way to find out things. Sometimes the word "science" is used to refer to the knowledge that is found using the methods of science.
The word science is from the Latin word scio, which means "to know".
People who do science are called scientists. Scientists study things by looking at them very carefully, by measuring them, and by doing experiments and tests. Scientists try to explain why things act the way they do, and are the way they are.
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[change] Scientific method
The "scientific method" is the name given to the methods used in science to learn and experiment with things. The scientific method can be very useful.
The main features of the scientific method are:
- The scientific method is a "trial and error" method. (Scientists try something to see if it works or not.)
- The scientific method depends on data.
- The product of the scientific process is something called a "theory".
Most people accept the scientific method as the most reliable way to get knowledge about nature, the universe, and the human body.
[change] Other features of science
Not everyone agrees about how science works exactly. Some philosophers and scientists say that scientific theories are only accepted as long as they are the best explanation for the data that exists, and when theories no longer explain the data, they are discarded and replaced. Other people say that sometimes scientists will make a theory better rather than discard it, or that they will keep on using the theory hoping that it will be made better eventually.
Scientists compete with each other. Scientists check each other's work. Scientists try to make better explanations for the data.
Scientists publish their work in peer-reviewed journals.
Science is a way to get knowledge by discarding what is not true.
Scientists must be very careful to make explanations that fit well with what they observe and measure. They compete to provide better explanations. An explanation might be interesting or pleasing, but if it does not agree with what other scientists really see and measure, they will try to find a better explanation.
Other scientists check their ideas to see if the real observations, measurements, and tests show if they are right or wrong. Peer review and repeating experiments is the only way to be sure the knowledge is correct.
Science makes models of nature, models of our universe, and medicine. There are many different sciences with their own names. However it is not right to say "science says" any one thing. Science is a process, not just the facts and rules believed at one time.
[change] Some types of science
[change] Biological sciences
[change] Physical sciences
[change] Social sciences
[change] Fields related to science
