1.2 Time, space, temperature and energy The conventional view of the Universe is that, at the very instant of the Big Bang, the Universe came into being. There was no ‘before’ this instant since the Big Bang marked the creation of time. No location for this event can be specified since the Big Bang marked the creation of space. All that can be discussed are times after the Big Bang, and things that happen in the space created as a result of it. This is a difficult concept to visualize; but please bear with us and examine the co
5: Other forms of potential energy It is worth emphasising that the gravitational energy (or gravitational potential energy, to give it the full name) of an object increases when it moves in the opposite direction to the gravitational force (i.e. when it moves upwards). This relationship between energy and force does not apply only to gravity. For many forces, motion against the force (that is, in the opposite direction to the force) allows energy to be stored, and this energy can be reclaimed when the obj
2: Work done by gravity It is possible to calculate the work done on a falling object by the gravitational force. We will adopt a simplifying approach and start by making the assumption that air resistance is negligible. In fact, air resistance is negligible for many practical purposes, so our calculations here won't be too unrealistic. If an object falls a certain distance, work will be done on it by the gravitational force that is acting on it. This work will cause the kinetic energy of the object to
3.3 The struggle for existence During their lives, guppies face a variety of environmental hazards which cause mortality. They must find food and, if food supply is limited, some will die through starvation. Heavy rain periodically causes floods which may wash a large part of a population out to sea; occasional droughts cause populations to perish when streams dry out. Like all organisms, guppies are attacked by a rich variety of parasites and diseases. Of most interest to us in this discussion is that guppies are preyed u
3.2 Number of progeny Female guppies begin to breed as soon as they become mature at about three months old; they then produce clutches of eggs, most of which become fertilized, at roughly one-month intervals until they die or become too old. Clutches vary in size from one to 40 eggs; the average clutch contains about 10 eggs. Thus, female guppies produce a large number of offspring during their lives, far more than can survive to maturity. 1.5.8 Bibliographic software If you are considering taking your studies further you might like to consider using bibliographic software. Bibliographic software can be used to sort references, annotate them, manage quotations or create reading lists. There are several software packages on the market. Some are listed below. 1.5.2 Ways of organizing yourself How do you organize yourself? Make a note of how you organise your: emails internet bookmarks or favorites computer files your h 1.4.4 O is for Objectivity One of the characteristics of ‘good’ information is that it should be balanced and present both sides of an argument or issue. This way the reader is left to weigh up the evidence and make a decision. In reality, we recognise that no information is truly objective. This means that the onus is on you, the reader, to develop a critical awareness of the positions represented in what you read, and to take account of this when you interpret the information. In some cases, authors may be 1.4.2 P is for Presentation By presentation, we mean, the way in which the information is communicated. You might want to ask yourself: Is the language clear and easy to understand? Is the information clearly laid out so that it is easy to read? Are the fonts large enough and clear? Are the colours effective? (e.g. white or yellow on black can be difficult to read) If there are graphics or photos, do they help 10 ‘Science for all?’ A look at some contexts The following statement is from the science National Curriculum in England published in 2000. Science stimulates and excites pupils’ curiosity about phenomena and events in the world around them. It also satisfies this curiosity with knowledge. Because science links direct practical experience with ideas, it can engage learners at many levels. Scientific meth 7.1 Introduction I now want to take forward the notion of a science curriculum for public understanding, identifying problems and opportunities. Our guide in what follows is the Beyond 2000 document, which emerged from a working group led by UK-based science educators, working collaboratively with science teachers, education researchers, professional scientists within universities, indust 5 Education for democracy? We are surrounded by, and interact increasingly with, scientific and technological products – for example, electronic miracles such as DVDs, mobile phones or microwave ovens; what is debatable is the extent to which we need to know anything of their workings to co-exist happily with them (see, for example, Chapman, 1991). Perhaps knowing something about the workings of mobile phones, for example, will help users assess the extent of any health risk they pose. Arguments for disseminating sci 3.1.5 (E) Historical development of scientific knowledge Pupils should be taught some of the historical background to the development of scientific knowledge. 3.1.3 (C) Scientific methods and critical testing Pupils should be taught that science uses the experimental method to test ideas, and, in particular, about certain basic techniques such as the use of controls. It should be made clear that the outcome of a single experiment is rarely sufficient to establish a knowledge claim. 3.1.2 (B) Observation and measurement Pupils should be taught that observation and measurement are core activities of scientists; most measurements are subject to some uncertainty but there may be ways of increasing our confidence in a measurement. 3.1.1 (A) Science and certainty Pupils should appreciate why much scientific knowledge, particularly that taught in school science, is well established and beyond reasonable doubt, and why other scientific knowledge is more open to legitimate doubt. It should also be explained that current scientific knowledge is the best that we have but may be subject to change in the future, given new evidence or new interpretation of old evidence. 2 What is science? In all subjects – and science no less so than others – definitions are problematic. At one level, science is a body of knowledge about the natural world. But this begs the question: what is peculiar about scientific knowledge as opposed to, taking just one example, an explanation of the origin of the Universe rooted in folklore and superstition? Others might argue that the scientific approach is unique – that the processes involved in doing science are distinct. That might Europe and the law 9.5 Tables Using a table or just a set of columns can help you to analyse information and ideas. You can vary the number of columns and rows as needed. The following activity provides an opportunity for you to summarise information in a table. 8 Magistrates Magistrates have been a part of the English legal system since the Justice of the Peace Act 1361. Their main role has always been in the criminal justice system. There are now over 30,000 magistrates (also known as Justices of the Peace) hearing over one million criminal cases per yea
Activity
The importance of science
This unit will give you a basic understanding of EU law and the interaction between EU and domestic law. It will provide a brief explanation of the European Convention on Human Rights and other European legislation, as well as the background to such institutions as the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice. First publish
Activity 7: Completing a table
