Physics 101 Objective #1
1. A scientific law is __________________. a theory that has been proven true. a statement describing a natural event. an explanation of an observed event. the absolute truth. a mathematical equation. none of these are correct
a statement describing a natural event.
A scientific theory may be defined as _____________________. a law that has not been proven yet. a weak scientific law. a testable model that explains observations and is useful in predicting new results. a proven estimate. an educated guess.
a testable model that explains observations and is useful in predicting new results.
Science can be defined as the search for relationships that _____________ and ______________ the behavior of the universe. confound; describe explain; predict describe; formulate explain; anlayze detail; predict
explain; predict
Given enough time and experimental trials, a scientist could prove a theory to be absolutely true. true false
false
If enough experiments are made, scientists can be absolutely certain of a scientific conclusion. true false
false
It is always possible to control variables when conducting scientific investigations. true false
false
Science is truly objective and does not reflect social values and viewpoints. true false
false
Science is unlike other fields of study in that one can be 100% certain of scientific conclusions. true false
false
Scientific conclusions reached today through careful study will most certainly stand true for all time. true false
false
Scientists accept the notion of attaining absolute truth and do not accept uncertainty as part of nature. true false
false
Scientists assume that there is a way to secure complete and absolute truth. True False
false
Scientists can be absolutely certain that a theory is true if they can collect enough evidence to support it. True False
false
Scientists must be unbiased and not participate in social and political causes. true false
false
There are no generally accepted ethical principles in the conduct of science. True False
false
There are no matters that cannot usefully be examined in a scientific way. true false
false
There can be no biased interpretation of data because the numbers can't lie. true false
false
There is a fixed set of steps that scientists always follow, with one path that leads them unerringly to scientific knowledge. true false
false
True scientific ventures do not allow social aspects to influence experimentation and analysis of results. true false
false
When people know how scientists go about their work and reach scientific conclusions, and what the limitations of such conclusions are, they are less likely to react thoughtfully to scientific claims and more likely to reject them out of hand or accept them uncritically. true false
false
You must follow the steps of the scientific method if you want to practice good science. true false
false
A scientist's creative imagination depends in part on... his or her past experiences. his or her prior knowledge. his or her past experiences and prior knowledge. Nonsense. Scientists have no creative imagination.
his or her past experiences and prior knowledge.
Physics can be defined as the science that deals with ________________. light and sound. matter and antimatter. forces and energy. forces and motion. work and energy. matter and energy.
matter and energy.
If a theory is challenged by new evidence, which of the following could occur? the theory is accepted, not the evidence the evidence is wrong the theory could be altered a vote is taken on whether to accept the new evidence
the theory could be altered
One way of describing the difference between scientific theories and scientific laws is that __________________. theories are laws that have not yet been proven logically. theories are laws that have not yet been proven experimentally. theories are not known with certainty to be true, but laws are. theories explain and laws describe. a theory can be proven wrong, but a law cannot. none of these
theories explain and laws describe.
A scientific theory is valid as long as new evidence continues to support it. true false
true
As a social activity, science inevitably reflects social values and viewpoints. true false
true
Children should start learning about scientific studies and the nature of science as soon as they enter school. true false
true
Science as an enterprise has individual, social, and institutional dimensions. true false
true
Science presumes that the things and events in the universe occur in consistent patterns that are comprehensible through careful, systematic study. true false
true
Scientific evidence can be biased in how the data are interpreted. True False
true
Scientists assume that even if there is no way to secure complete and absolute truth, increasingly accurate approximations can be made to account for the world and how it works. true false
true
Scientists believe that knowledge gained by studying one part of the universe can lead to an understanding of other parts of the universe.
true
Sometimes scientists let their own personal bias cloud their reasoning. true false
true
There are many matters that cannot usefully be examined in a scientific way. true false
true
There is no fixed set of steps that scientists always follow, no one path that leads them unerringly to scientific knowledge. true false
true
When people know how scientists go about their work and reach scientific conclusions, and what the limitations of such conclusions are, they are more likely to react thoughtfully to scientific claims and less likely to reject them out of hand or accept them uncritically. true false
true
Scientists use their creativity when... designing experiments. asking scientific questions. when interpreting experimental evidence. all of the above Nonsense. Scientists never use creativity.
all of the above
A scientific claim is a claim that is capable of __________________. being proven false being proven true standing the test of time leading to the absolute truth all of these
being proven false
Scientific theories are most useful in __________________. explaining what has been observed. proving what has been observed. predicting new results. leading to new laws. all of the above both a and c
both a and c