The scientific methods of scientific research
The scientific method has four steps the observation and description of a phenomenon or a group of phenomenon the preparation of an hypothesis to put in plain words the phenomena, the hypothesis takes the form of a informal mechanism or a mathematical relation in physics the employment of the hypothesis to envisage the existence of other phenomenon and look at the results of new observations and finally doing the experimental tests of the forecasts by several self-regulating experiments and well performed experiments (Barker, 2000).
The scientific method necessitates that a hypothesis be made to order if its forecasts are unable to get along with experimental results. Furthermore, the forecasts or predictions must be in agreement with the experimental results for us to believe in its validity in the description of nature. Another major factor is that the theory must be testable either directly or to test it for the end results of derived from the theory using mathematics and logic.
If the forecasts of an already existing theory are found to be inconsistent with the new experimental results, then the theory may not be needed, but it may be used within a restricted array of measurable parameters. The inconsistency may be caused due to errors. First, the error might be inherent to instruments of measurement. The error is able to produce higher or lower numerical measurement to the true value. Second, there is a non-random or systematic error that is caused by the biasness towards one direction. This leads to inaccuracy of data (Jones, 2001). Thus in scientific method, it is significant to establish the accuracy of a certain measurement and also quote the measurement error.
Scientific method may or may not be applicable in different circumstances. It can be used in circumstances where one can break up the phenomenon of interest, by getting rid of unrelated factors, and when one can test the system after making changes in it. On the other hand in situations where one cannot isolate the phenomenon or where the phenomenon cannot be used over and over again it may prove hard to use the phenomenon.
Before the enlightenment, the middle ages had been marked by steadfast religious devotion and profound brutality. The church had much power as it did during those thousand years. In those years, science was regarded as a deviation and those who tried to explain the miracles and other matters of faith faced unkind reprimand. Therefore there were no mandates of personal rights, and many Europeans feared the religion. The scientific revolution and enlightenment, therefore, opened way for free thoughts, and the ground of mathematics, astronomy, physics, philosophy, and medicine stated to increase considerably. Therefore, as a result of this salons were opened up in France, philosophical discussions were held, and the read books were being red by a large population (Baird, 2004). Even though this took place not all the citizens participated, this is because many uneducated and rural citizens were not able to contribute to the enlightenment.
Science in those ages of enlightenment was subject to scientific societies and the academies. The academies had swapped the universities to a large extent as midpoints of scientific research and advancement. Then the society was informed about scientific profession and finally became populous among the increasing literate population. The philosophers initiated the public to many different scientific theories mostly through the encyclopedia.
In the universities, the study of science was divided into physics, chemistry and natural history which comprised of anatomy, biology, mineralogy, geology, and zoology. Most of the universities taught a Cartesian form of mechanical philosophy and highly developed Newtonianism in the mid 18th century. Before the 18th century, science courses were taught in almost entirely formal lectures. Some advancements were made were physical demonstrations were added to the lectures (Klein, 2007). The experiments ranged from swinging bucket at the end of the rope that demonstrated how centrifugal force held the water in the bucket to more improved and impressive ones like the use of an air-pump.
The scientific revolution took many steps that led to the improvement of the science learning in the modern world. The modern society is based highly on scientific inventions. This is because the planet has reached the atomic age. The students are trained in a way that they are involved in finding out the laws of nature and enable them to build up an interest in discovery of the laws of nature and also raising an interest in knowing the secrets of nature (Henry, 2006).
The methods of scientific research take account of the simplification of the hypothesis about the phenomena work and then testing the hypothesis using experimentation. The scientists are required to publish their information to prevent the other scientist from performing the same experiments to check on their conclusions. The scientific fields are alienated into two most important groups the natural science which studies the natural phenomenon, this consists of the biological life the social sciences which studies human behavior and societies (Larkin, 1995). These groups are based on the evident phenomena and that is able to be tested by other workers working in the same conditions to evaluate its validity.
The scientific method insists on the use of set definitions of the appropriate quantities. This means that a scientific quantity is described by how it is measured, for example electric current is measured in amperes (Wieman, 1999). Therefore, the operational definition of a thing relies on the comparisons with standards, for example the operational definition of mass ultimately relies on the use of artifact, such as a certain kilogram of platinum-iridium stored in France.
Therefore, science and scientific work after confirmation tends to be accepted by the community and the scholars as a whole. A major concern is taken to protect bad science and the deceitful area. The government research agencies and some science journals have policies that after scientists are achieved their data it has to be presented for other researchers to access and test the data to enable a fair and accurate research.
Some of the approaches that utilize the scientific method are induction, deduction, and proper falsification methods (George, 2001).
The induction method entails the derivation by reasoning something to lead to a conclusion, inference, suggestion or an implication. It can also mean the process of deducting a universal law or principle from examination of particular occurrences. On the other hand, it can be simplified to as pulling together of separate facts or information for the reason of verifying a general statement.
Using induction the teacher presents the students with specific challenges or problems such as and conduct test that needs an interpretation or real-world dilemma that needs to be solved. The students then use their base knowledge to investigate, test, analyze and come up with their own conclusion or solution (Mayer, 1994). This method involves stating the question, making observations, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, analyzing the results and finally drawing conclusions based on the interpretation of the results.
The deduction method entails drawing into a conclusion something known or assumed to infer to something. It also means inference by reasoning from generals to particulars or from something known to something assumed. Here, we might begin by thinking about a theory from a topic of concern. Then we narrow down into more precise theory that we ca be able to experiment. We further collect the observation that addresses the hypothesis. This will help us to test the hypothesis with specific data. Proving and testing the hypothesis is, however, dependable on probability and this is because the outcomes generated always have a likelihood of trial error (Bunting, 2003). Afterwards, the theory may turn out to be a scientific assumption after a thorough discussion and retesting of the outcomes.
Falsification is the rational accountability that a claim can de made by an inspection or a physical test. Not all declarations that are falsified in principle are falsified in practice i.e. when one says that Ill be shining here next century. The statement is theoretically falsified but practically not so.
This idea of falsifiability was made popular by Kerl Popper, during his examination of the scientific method. He came into an argument that a hypothesis, preposition, or thesis is scientific only if it is falsifiable.
Popper gave falsifiability a transformed importance as a decisive factor of observed statements in science, and then he came up with two forms of statements of particular worth to scientists. The first one read this is a white swan here there is an assertion of the survival of some particular thing. This statement was called singular existential statements (Carlo, 1993). The second statement categorizes all instances such as all swans are white the statement was called universal.
Popper proposed that falsification to be a solution to the problem of inductive reasoning. This is because although singular existential statement cannot be used affirm a universal statement, it can be used to show that one is false. For example there is a black swan directly means that there is a non-white swan which on the other hand may mean that there is something that is a swan and that is not white, hence all swans are white is false, because that has he same meaning as there is nothing that is a swan and that is not white
The advantage that may arise is that since the theories are capable to e falsified then the scientists must always be prepared for future experiments andor investigation and this will prove that the existing theory is valid. This therefore, means that the errors will be detected and corrective measures taken appropriately.
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