Glossary #2

Name: Daniela Quirós Level: 12 A1 Science

1. False balance: Science works by carefully examining the evidence supporting
different hypotheses and building on the ones with the most support. Journalism and
policies that falsely give all points of view the same scientific legitimacy effectively
undo one of the main goals of science: weighing the evidence.

2. Falsify: is a way of demarcating science from non-science. It suggests that for a

theory to be considered scientific it must be able to be tested and conceivably
proven false. For example, the hypothesis that "all swans are white," can be falsified
by observing a black swan.

3. Funding agency: is any external organization, public or private, which undertakes a

contractual agreement with the University to sponsor research or an entrepreneurial
activity.

4. Human subjects protocols: is systematic scientific research that can be either

interventionist or observational and involves humans as research subjects, probably
known as test subjects.

5. Hypothesis: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited

evidence as a starting point for further investigation.

6. Inductive reasoning: is a method of reasoning in which the premises are viewed as

supplying some evidence, but not full assurance, of the truth of the conclusion. It is
also described as a method where one's experiences and observations, including
what are learned from others, are synthesized to come up with a general truth. Many
dictionaries define inductive reasoning as the derivation of general principles from
specific observations (arguing from specific to general), although there are many
inductive arguments that do not have that form

7. Infer: To infer means to use past knowledge or opinions to come up with a

conclusion. For example, an observation might be that a tire is flat or has rust on it.
When you infer something, make sure your observations can support it. If they
can't, don't be afraid to come up with a new inference.

8. Law: are statements, based on repeated experiments or observations, that describe

or predict a range of natural phenomena Laws are developed from data and can be
further developed through mathematics; in all cases they are directly or indirectly
based on empirical evidence.
9. Line of evidence: meaning that the model has been thoroughly tested and supported
by many different investigations. If the evidence from these converges and indicates
the model is correct, we can have great confidence in the model

10. Model natural experiment: observational study in which an event or a situation

that allows for the random or seemingly random assignment of study subjects to
different groups is exploited to answer a particular question.

11. Natural world: This includes the components of the physical universe around us
like atoms, plants, ecosystems, people, societies and galaxies, as well as the natural
forces at work on those things. In contrast, science cannot study supernatural forces
and explanations.

12. Natural: is a branch of science concerned with the description, prediction, and
understanding of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation
and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatability of findings
are used to try to ensure the validity of scientific advances.

13. Null hypothesis: is a type of hypothesis used in statistics that proposes that there is
no difference between certain characteristics of a population (or data-generating
process). For example, a gambler may be interested in whether a game of chance is
fair.

14. Objective: in science is an attempt to uncover truths about the natural world by
eliminating personal biases, emotions, and false beliefs. It is often linked to
observation as part of the scientific method. It is thus intimately related to the aim of
testability and reproducibility.

15. Observe: to conform one's action or practice to (something, such as a law, rite, or
condition) comply with failed to observe the law and as a consequence had to pay a
fine. To inspect or take note of as an augury, omen, or presage observed the flight of
the sacred geese.

16. Over-arching theory: is a descriptive term intended to provide context. It does not
have a specific technical meaning. An overarching theory is a theory that
encompasses, describes, or ties together other theories.

17. Parsimony: is the principle that the simplest explanation that can explain the data is
to be preferred. In the analysis of phylogeny, parsimony means that a hypothesis of
relationships that requires the smallest number of character changes is most likely to
be correct.
18. Peer review: has been defined as a process of subjecting an author's scholarly work,
research or ideas to the scrutiny of others who are experts in the same field. The
major advantage of a peer review process is that peer-reviewed articles provide a
trusted form of scientific communication.

19. Philosophy of science: is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations,

methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern
what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultimate
purpose of science. This discipline overlaps with metaphysics, ontology, and
epistemology, for example, when it explores the relationship between science and
truth. Philosophy of science focuses on metaphysical, epistemic and semantic
aspects of science. Ethical issues such as bioethics and scientific misconduct are
often considered ethics or science studies rather than philosophy of science.

20. Placebo effect: is defined as a phenomenon in which some people experience a

benefit after the administration of an inactive "look-alike" substance or treatment.
This substance, or placebo, has no known medical effect

21. Placebo: Substance that lacks curative action but produces a therapeutic effect if the
patient takes it convinced that it is a really effective medicine; It has the same look,
taste and shape as a real medicine but is made from inert products and without any
active ingredients."He is a hypochondriac and the doctor prescribes placebos for
him on many occasions

22. Prediction: a prediction is what you expect to happen if your hypothesis is true. So,
based on the hypothesis you've created, you can predict the outcome of the
experiment.

23. Pure science: is a science that derives theories and predictions. Pure Science can
also know as natural Science, basic science or fundamental science. Pure sciences
deals with the study of natural phenomena through observation, experimentation
and use of scientific methods.

24. Replicate: an exact copy of a sample that is being analyzed, such as a cell,
organism or molecule, on which exactly the same procedure is done. This is often
done in order to check for experimental or procedural error.

25. Sample: A sample refers to a smaller, manageable version of a larger group. It is a

subset containing the characteristics of a larger population.
26. Science: the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of
the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation
and experiment.

27. Scientific argument: is defined as people disagreeing about scientific explanations

(claims) using empirical data (evidence) to justify their side of the argument. A
scientific argument is a process that scientists follow to guide their research
activities

28. Scientific conference: is an event for researchers (not necessarily academics) to

present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals and
Eprint archives such as arXiv, conferences provide an important channel for
exchange of information between researchers.

29. Scientific journal: s a periodical publication intended to further the progress of

science, usually by reporting new research.

30. Scientific literature: comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical
and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences, and within an academic
field, often abbreviated as the literature.

31. Scientific misconduct: is the violation of the standard codes of scholarly conduct
and ethical behavior in the publication of professional scientific research.

32. Subjective: experience and inspiration as it has on objective experiments and

theories.

33. Supernatural: defined as events or things that cannot be explained by nature or

science and that are assumed to come from beyond or to originate from
otherworldly forces. Ghosts and witches are an example of the supernatural.

34. Technology: is the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

35. Test: A test under controlled conditions that is made to demonstrate a known truth,
examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy of something
previously untried. The process of conducting such a test; experimentation.

36. Testable: is testable if there is a possibility of deciding whether it is true or false

based on experimentation
37. Theory: is an explanation of an aspect of the natural world and universe that can be
repeatedly tested and verified in accordance with the scientific method, using
accepted protocols of observation, measurement, and evaluation of results. Where
possible, theories are tested under controlled conditions in an experiment. In
circumstances not amenable to experimental testing, theories are evaluated through
principles of abductive reasoning. Established scientific theories have withstood
rigorous scrutiny and embody scientific knowledge

38. Uncertainty: generally means that there is a range of possible values within which
the true value of the measurement lies.