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The Nature of Science or NoS is a focus on the ways in which Scientific knowledge is acquired. From the Scientific method, to accidental discoveries (serendipity), to the assembly of data from different sources for a meaningful whole, to a meticulous series of observations that collectively have meaning; Science ultimately, is the collection of evidence from which conclusions can be drawn. [above includes … Penicillin, the structure of DNA, the theory of evolution]. At its center there exists a question from which an answer is sought, however the manner by which one arrives at the answer, can take many routes.
The aspects of the syllabus from which the NoS is addressed include the following over arching issues together with some of the points I have highlighted.
1. What is Science – encouraging you to fully address the purpose and processes involved in the study of Science
2. Understanding of Science – here you develop an understanding of the what denotes a theory, how its different from a Law. You touch on Scientific philosophy and learn to distinguish between correlation and cause.
3. Objectivity of Science – here there is a focus on the acquisition of data and how it is conducted in a rigorous and defendable way
4. The human face of Science- science is carried out by people, the do not work in isolation but in teams (Note the Group 4 Project). There is the need to protect and acknowledge the work of others, to encourage honesty and to work in an ethical manner.
5. Public understanding of Science – This relates to our lives and the lives of others. To understand how science is portrayed in the public domain from newspaper articles to television shows. (Check out the website from the author of Bad Science)
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And the difference between a hill and a mountain? From the Movie The Englishman who went up a hill and came down a mountain, I believe its a mountain if its higher than a 1000 feet.
Perhaps you should email the happyscientist and tell him.
