Term 1 Blog Post 2: Science as an Inquiry

Introduction :

In this blog post, I will be talking about the issues and things we learnt in class, and the topic for term 1 was - Science as an Inquiry. Basically, we were introduced to Science and Technology, something that should already be familiar to all of us in the class; we had Science as a subject in class, and we all love keeping up with Technology and getting the newest gadgets. However, is this all what Science and Technology is about? Of course not, and I certainly have learnt a lot more after the school lessons!

Science:

Science is a word that can refer to:

1. Gathering knowledge or extending the knowledge gathered through a process called research.

2. All the knowledge that has been gathered so far.

Science has been present in mankind for centuries, and scientists from all these years have been trying to explain why things act the way they do, and are the way they are. Through tested data and examples, scientist have formulated concepts, principles and theories.


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. What we was also emphasised during the lessons was that, science is not always confined to the laboratory and just experiments, but is actually in all aspects of the world.

Technology:

The word technology comes from the Greek word, "technología", which means an art, skill or craft, the study of something, or the branch of knowledge of a discipline. This means that technology, is simply the application of knowledge. However, depending on when the word technology is used, technology can mean:

1. The tools and machines that help to solve problems

2. The techniques (knowledge) that includes methods, materials, tools, and ways for solving a problem (such as building technology or medical technology)

3. A culture-forming activity (such as manufacturing technology, or space-travel technology)

4. Using resources to solve a problem (such as knowledge, skills, processes, techniques, tools and raw materials)

5. A term to describe the level of achievement in science, mathematics and engineering of a group or culture

6. Or in economics, technology is the current state of our knowledge of how to put resources together to produce wanted products (and our knowledge of what can be produced)

So with the definitations of technology put aside, how does both science and technology benefit society? Rapid advances and continuous innovation in technology have made the world a smaller place. Internet has made it possible to access information and to communicate free of charge to a person sitting at the other end of the world from the comfort of one's home and just at the click of a button. Gone are the days when one had to scream into the telephone mouth piece to be heard at the other end and ended up with a hoarse voice as a reminder of the ordeal. Internet has also made it possible to do voice conferencing via messaging tools such as Yahoo Messenger, MSN Messenger, Google Talk and Rediff Messenger, which are the popular few. It is also possible to video conference with your loved ones using webcams!

It is amazing how technology has slowly sneaked into our lives and has become a part of our day to day activities even without us knowing? Well, that's what I find it to be. Now carrying an iPhone has became the norm - even for children like many of my friends, as compared to the time where handphones were a luxury. They have now become a must for everyone to have. In my opinion, people just need to have that confidence and security that their loved ones or many services are just a phone call away and reachable anytime, anywhere at the press of a few buttons. Payments, movie and restaurant bookings, all can now be made online. Even online shopping is catching up; as I just ordered 3 books from US recently!

Flaws and abuses of the applications of Science and Technology:

As much as all the convenience and benefits Science and Technology brings to mankind and society, like many other things in the world, it too has downsides to it. Nowaday, information is easily accessible online. Just the other day, I got a strange call on my cell phone from a weird man(which I think is an employee of an insurance company) trying promote a new insurance plan to me. Even more creepy was that, he knew my name!

Easy access to information has resulted in new kinds of crime such as cases of credit card frauds and password hackers. Many people in the internet are also dangerous people, and the thing is that many other children still unkowningly make friends with them, or even go out with them!

One good example of an abuse of Science and Technology is nuclear warfare. There was a scientist that was born in Rome, Italy. This physicist, Enrico Fermi, was the first scientist to split the atom and his research later led to nuclear power generation. Together with Leo Szilard, Fermi discovered the first nuclear reactor that caused nuclear chain reactions.

His discovery was meant to help mankind, not destroy it. When nuclear weapons was invented during World War 2, many innocent people had died. The reason to this was that nuclear weapons usually cause damage to a huge area of effect, and thus, even if the enemy's army base was the target, a lot of other innocents would have died for nothing.

Conclusion:

I guess the school's main purpose of adding this topic into the science curriculum was to first establish what and why we have to learn this subject. Other reasons could include letting us know that Science and Technology can greatly increase our living standards, but at the same time destroy all of mankind, so that we could better understand what we are learning, rather than just teaching us the facts blindly. To end of, I would just like to say that after hearing about all those things I learnt in class, my interest in science has really increased!