Knowra Science Science Science is a systematic way of developing and testing knowledge about the natural and social worlds through observation, experimentation, and reasoning. Its claims remain open to scrutiny and revision.
Scientific method : A structured approach to inquiry that uses observation, hypothesis formation, testing, and revision. It describes the recurring cycle through which scientific claims are investigated.
Hypothesis : A proposed explanation or prediction that can be evaluated against evidence. Hypotheses make scientific questions specific enough to investigate.
Scientific Revolution : A period of major transformation in European science during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Its new mathematical and experimental approaches helped shape modern science.
Pseudoscience : A body of claims presented as scientific but lacking reliable methods of testing and correction. Its use of scientific language without comparable scrutiny highlights standards that distinguish science.
Technology : The practical application of knowledge, skills, and tools to achieve human purposes. Scientific findings can enable technologies, while technological tools also expand scientific investigation.
Observation : The systematic acquisition of information using the senses or instruments. Observations provide evidence from which scientific questions and claims develop.
Scientific theory : A well-supported explanatory framework that accounts for observations and generates testable predictions. Theories are developed explanations, not guesses awaiting confirmation.
Francis Bacon : An English philosopher who advocated systematic observation and inductive reasoning in the study of nature. Bacon argued for organized empirical inquiry as an alternative to reliance on inherited authority.
Humanities : Fields that study human culture, history, language, and meaning through interpretive and critical methods. Their aims and methods often differ from science while addressing overlapping questions about human life.
Science policy : Public decisions and institutions that shape the funding, conduct, and use of scientific research. Policy determines which research receives support and how its consequences are managed.
Show all 26