Science (from the Latin word scientia, meaning "knowledge") is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.The earliest roots of science can be traced to Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia in around 3000 to 1200 BCE. Their contributions to mathematics, astronomy, and medicine entered and shaped Greek natural philosophy of classical antiquity, whereby formal attempts were made to provide explanations of events in the physical world based on natural causes. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, knowledge of Greek conceptions of the world deteriorated in Western Europe during the early centuries (400 to 1000 CE) of the Middle Ages, but was preserved in the Muslim world during the Islamic Golden Age. The recovery and assimilation of Greek works and Islamic inquiries into Western Europe from the 10th to 13th century revived "natural philosophy", which was later transformed by the Scientific Revolution that began in the 16th century as new ideas and discoveries departed from previous Greek conceptions and traditions. The scientific method soon played a greater role in knowledge creation and it was not until the 19th century that many of the institutional and professional features of science began to take shape; along with the changing of "natural philosophy" to "natural science."Modern science is typically divided into three major branches that consist of the natural sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, and physics), which study nature in the broadest sense; the social sciences (e.g., economics, psychology, and sociology), which study individuals and societies; and the formal sciences (e.g., logic, mathematics, and theoretical computer science), which deal with symbols governed by rules. There is disagreement, however, on whether the formal sciences actually constitute a science as they do not rely on empirical evidence. Disciplines that use existing scientific knowledge for practical purposes, such as engineering and medicine, are described as applied sciences.New knowledge in science is advanced by research from scientists who are motivated by curiosity about the world and a desire to solve problems. Contemporary scientific research is highly collaborative and is usually done by teams in academic and research institutions, government agencies, and companies. The practical impact of their work has led to the emergence of science policies that seek to influence the scientific enterprise by prioritizing the development of commercial products, armaments, health care, public infrastructure, and environmental protection.
This is a desperate attempt to find a set of videos I saw about a year ago on YouTube. It was not one of the big, well known guys like Veritasium or SciShow, it was just one middle aged guy. He explained scientific advancements through history, and gave really, really detailed accounts of how...
Hi everyone. I wanted to post this interesting essay by Donald and Stuart Geman on Science in the Age of Selfies.
http://www.stat.berkeley.edu/~aldous/Blog/PNAS-2016-Geman.pdf
The essay raises some interesting questions on the scientific enterprise in the age of online communication and great...
So you are on trial for robbing a bank. the prosecuter has all this scientific evidence aginst you. Finger prints, DNA samples and a result from a lie detector test. All this science has been used to find you guilty, but then they sentence you on the basis you have free will when there is...
Note: for easy reference, "serious" questions and such are italicized. I also should note that although the title says "science", I include many references to mathematics (I suppose one could argue that it is a science in some senses). Furthermore, in another thread that I've posted, some people...
Hello,I just graduated from high school and i will be starting university in fall 2016 at the University of Manitoba in Canada. They have a joint degree program in physics and computer science which is a program I'm considering since, I enjoy studying about both disciplines. I would like your...
Agronomy and soil science are about dirt. The two used to be synonymous, but agronomy has evolved to so much more, and soil science is subtopic or subset.
According to the Wikipedia article - "Agronomy (Ancient Greek ἀγρός agrós 'field' + νόμος nómos 'law') is the science and technology of...
This may be a bit too long for a thread, but believe me, this is as short as it can get
I have always seen myself as a physicist, Always had interest in how the world works, and the mechanics of the universe.
Now the problem is, I am from a country in North Africa, Algeria, and I don't...
Hello,
I am currently a materials science major going into my junior year. I recently gained interest in medical school (specifically anesthesiology and radiology) However, I do not know if this is going to be the plan yet for me. I am thinking about changing my major to chemistry, so that I...
Just like books by "Jules verne" changed Dr emmit brown's life in the movie " Back to the future" and then he decided that he should dedicate his life for the love of science.
Book that motivated you for science.
I am waiting to hear your story so get set go.
We know that throughout history established ideas, that the people in their time had great confidence into be the final end all, often turned out to be incomplete or wrong.
Ideas that challenged the status quo were often first met with great resistance and closed mindedness.
This is...
I'm reposting this here because it raises a fascinating kind of vulnerability (new to me). It is a vulnerabililty of any science using software for analysis to a common-mode error. The thought that 40,000 scientific teams were fooled is shocking. It is a good post, it links sources both...
No question this time, just wanted to share this. I searched the posts and only came up with an eleven year old thread, so I thought it might be time to post a new one. I particularly found the aspect of Methane fuel interesting...
Hi guys. I'm a junior in high school and am debating on which field to pursue. I know it's a bit early for me but I've always wanted to go into a career with computers and just wanted some help. I'm sure similar questions have been asked before but if you would be so kind as of to answer some of...
It is often said that science is a 'model' of reality out there.
I think this statement is wrong. It presupposes that there is a reality that is beyond 'modelling'.
Suppose, someone really finds out the reality 'as it really is'. ( I am not saying there surely is). She would first of all...
I want to become computer expert in all aspects
I know programming
I study Electrical Engineering in university and I love computers
I want to know computers in basic level
If I want to learn basic about computers what work should I do?
between data structures , operating system , computer...
Hi
I recently skimmed through a book called the Structure of Theory. It's a book about what kinds of theories exist.
I would like to learn more about this. What books and websites can you guys recommend?
I would prefer a resource with specific examples of what kinds of theories exist in...
Hi,
Here's my dilemma... I have been accepted into both courses. I applied for Engineering first but am afraid I am not smart or driven enough to complete it. It is also 3 hours away from home, therefore, I would have to move out but unfortunately since I don't have a job my Mum has offered to...
Hello, PF! I had been meaning for some time already to start a thread like this, in which we can share our personal, technical (math, physics, engineering) library (as a list or in pictures too), and also recommend your favorite textbooks or handbooks. Here is my collection so far, as a junior...
Hi guys I'm going to study CS in college this fall, but don't know if I need to upgrade my computer or not.
I understand you need a lot of computing power for some heavy caculation but just wondering is that going to happen at the college level courses.
My current set up is a pc with i3 3220...
I'm currently reading thermodynamics which is only the second volume of all the physics course that I'm planning to read. So for the math in it is just killing me literally. Mechanics was relatively easy but this subject is just too freaking hard. All these partial differential equations and...
Are there any books that go into detail on how research in the physical sciences works? For example, analyzing whether a hypothesis is falsifiable or not. I want to be a physicist, and I want to know how science is done right in order that I can be a good physicist/scientist.
Thank you.
I am currently still a high school student but i will be going to university next year. I've long decided to take a double major of physics and computer science. I can get a scholarship for undergrad. But my question is about after I get my Bachelors Degrees in both computer science and physics...
Greetings all,
I am quite new to this forum so please forgive me if this is on the wrong thread. I recently purchased some reflective paint which sprays on clear and appears white/silver once light hits it at night. However I am looking for a type of paint that is invisible to the naked eye...
Computer science major here.
I recently completed calculus I, II, III. Now I know that I'll probably be required to take linear algebra.
So far, I expect to do some Gaussian elimination (assuming I know what a row echelon is).
What else should I expect from linear algebra?
Hi! I am physics passionate and I have always tackled a bit of this and a bit of that in other sciences. I have recently found out that there is something called forensic science (like in CSI stuff). No, seriously, I found out that this is a thing like two weeks ago, so I want to see what's with...
Have you ever felt like you want to throw everything away? I'm mean, for those of you who are PhD's, have you ever felt like just leaving you degree and go and do something else?
Would be nice to hear some good reflections.
At the end of the movie about a robot boy who sleeps a long time under water ("AI"? by Spielberg?), sentient beings seemingly made of light appear. That's what I remember anyway. Is that within the possibilities of known science? Can light particles behave as organized matter in and of...
Hello everyone. I want to be interest in rockets. How I begin? Which books are I have to read? I'm also interesting with aircraft. Especially unmanned aircrafts. I have a little bit aerodynamic infrastructure. I'm waiting your answers. Thank you.
Recently I had a thread in PF and also participate in another one and somehow time after time the discussion touches on a few important points that deal with both history, politics and also a lot of stereotypical thinking about the world both how it's now and the way it was in history.
We live...
Hi, I've been really looking into going back to school for awhile now, and I don't know exactly what I want to do, however I can't see myself doing anything not related to math and science. The circumstances in my life are progressing in a manner that would make it financially feasible and...
Hi there, Since Science has a rapidly changing knowledge base and expanding relevance to
society. Can you give me suggestions or innovations I can use in my science class to cope up on this.
I'm sorry if this is a bit of a mundane question but we all do impulsive things when we're anxious. I may get a B+ in General Physics II and Calculus II this semester (2nd semester freshman). I know I am capable of much better, and to be honest, I was very bogged down emotionally/psychologically...
Hello fellow PF'ers!
I have been conversating with a strongly religious character for some time now, and thought i'd present some of his arguments to you. I have myself tried to explain the basics of the problems, but maybe some of you can have a laugh and go into further details as to why he...
To what extent is the term infinity used in the physical world.
When talking in terms of mathematics we can have a set of all natural numbers called an infinity, then we can have a value that comes after this set of infinity (lets call it 'a'). After 'a' comes 'a+1' then after this set of...
Hi,
I'm applying at a swiss univerity (EPFL) and I already have to pick my major.
Here's the thing :
I currently love programming. I enjoy finding beautiful ways to solve math programming challenges on the net. (I code in Python). I love automating stuff with programming. I love projects : I...
Hello again PF!
I was accepted to an REU for this summer. I was just hoping to get some nuggets of good advice for what to do to be successful. Only thing I keep telling myself is to work HARD so I can make a good impression and hopefully contribute to a successful project.
Any good advice...
Hi
I have been admitted to University of Toronto[ Trinity college] and McGill University as an international student for physics major. I am planning to do double major in computer science and physics. I want to know which university is better for these subject at an undergrad level.
I have to...
Hello people,
I am currently in my third year of Physics B.Sc., and I will prospectively get the B.Sc. Degree in half a year...if I just knew in which direction to go. I wonder if it I can get into cognitive science and machine learning from that position. Which physics bachelor theses do build...
Homework Statement
Find the probability that a randomly generated bit string of length 10 begins with a 1 or ends with a 00 if
a)a 0 bit and a 1 bit are equally likely.
b)The probability that a bit is a 1 is .7
c)The probability that the ith bit is a 1 is 1/2i for i=1,2,3,...,10
Homework...
I'm sure this is elementary for this forum, but can someone help me figure out if my son's science fair project results are correct? He rolled his toy car, with and without weight added, down hill and measured the time to get to the bottom of the hill and the distance traveled once the car hit...
My situation is this: I graduated with a B.S. in Computer Science in 2011 and have been working ever since. Now I'm thinking of returning to school for physics, with the ultimate goal of going to graduate school for physics. I think it's safe to assume I am not well prepared for graduate...
I've been hearing of many athletes coming forward to donate their brains to science when they die. Curious with most of us being involved in science and its progress has anyone here made plans to donate their body or an organ to science after they die? Why not? Let's do it!
Hi,
just came across a video on CNN showing how to make water behave like it would in space:
<link to video deleted>
My question about that video is:
what height do i need to get a free fall time of 10 sec?
best regards