Atoms and Stars IST 2420 and IST 1990

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Atoms and StarsIST 2420 and IST 1990

• Class 3 January 26
• Fall 2005
• David Bowen

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Handouts

• PowerPoint notes
• Passbacks for Temperamental Can
• At end of class, for ISP 3340 only, Essay
  Questions

Names

• Initial by your name on signin list
• Go through class names again

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Due this week

• Report for Lab 1
• Assignments go in the IN folder

For next week

• Reader Pp 105 125 (positive evidence)
• Manual Pp 6 - 12
• Turn in Report for todays Lab 2
• Essay 1 Due February 9

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From last week

• From the statement of Pope John Paul II to
  Pontifical Academy of Sciences, 1996
• new knowledge has led to the recognition of
  the theory of evolution as more than a
  hypothesis. It is indeed remarkable that this
  theory has been progressively accepted by
  researchers, following a series of discoveries in
  various fields of knowledge. The convergence,
  neither sought nor fabricated, of the results of
  work that was conducted independently is in
  itself a significant argument in favor of the
  theory. Quoted in Stephen Jay Gould, Rocks of
  Ages, 1999, Pp 81-82. (Later says the creation of
  man and mans mind lie outside of science.)
• http//www.jesuitsinscience.org/Newsletter97/papal
  .htm

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Statements of Major Religions Regarding Evolution
in Science Classes

• http//www.don-lindsay-archive.org/creation/voices
  /part3
• Jewish, Episcopalians, Catholics, Lutherans,
  Methodists, Presbyterians, Unitarian-
  Universalists
• Also major scientific groups, teachers
  associations have statements there

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Applying Aspects of Science

• Fair play argument
• Science is not fair to ideas that do not have
  experimental support
• Argument that gaps or problems with evolution
  mean Creation Science / Intelligent Design win by
  elimination
• Never 100 agreement in science (Flat Earth
  Society) theories must be falsifiable, have
  positive evidence (could modify evolution or
  develop third theory)

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Readings

• James B. Conant, The Development of the Concept
  of Atmospheric Pressure

• To let water run out of barrel, need hole at top
• Aristotle The earth is full. Something else must
  move to make way for water. Nature abhors a
  vacuum.
• Today, we say pressure pushes up against water,
  holds it in place.

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Pressure

• Force per unit area (e.g. pounds per square inch)
• Same in all directions
• Acts perpendicularly to a surface
• Effect can be from a difference in pressure
• (Heated air / steam (a) expand and/or (b)
  increase pressure on container, cooling does the
  opposite contract and/or lower pressure)
• Later, apply to Temperamental Can

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Readings (contd)

• 1638 Galileo, from workmen, vacuum pump will not
  raise water more than 34 feet (made a poor
  hypothesis breaking wire).
• 1644 Torricelli (Galileos student) in
  hypothesized sea of air like ocean although
  made of air. Atmospheric pressure holds water in,
  but only so much (34 feet)
• Mercury 13.5 denser, 30 inches

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Readings (contd)

• 1647 Blaise Pascal reasoned that pressure less
  at high altitude, similar to increasing ocean
  pressure with depth.
• 1648 Pascals brother-in-law carried inverted
  mercury tube to mountain Puy-de-Dôme, saw it was
  less, then halfway when halfway down the
  mountain, constant at top.
• one cannot say nature abhors a vacuum more at
  the foot of the mountain than at its summit.
• 1654 Otto von Guericke, Magdeburg spheres

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Readings (contd)

• 1657 Robert Boyle put mercury column inside a
  vacuum pump, mercury fell when air pumped out,
  later used for experiments inside vacuum
• Some points about this sequence of events
• A discovery (inverted mercury tube) becomes an
  instrument for further discoveries (barometer,
  altimeter, vacuum apparatus). Science is
  cumulative or progressive.
• Uncertain nature of early scientific
  communication (private letter for Pascal, book
  for Boyle)

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Temperamental Can

• All connected by pressure, some by
• Imploding upside-down can
• Right-side up can that did nothing
• Inverted cup that held water
• Inverted cup with card that held water
• Water running out of can, stopped with thumb
• Gurgling can

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Temperamental Can (Contd)

• - upside down layer of water is unstable if too
  large, breaks up, allows air in
• Grading original data sheet with procedure and
  observations, explanations clearly separated.
  Consistent presence of hypotheses when asked for.
• Many mentioned a special role for oxygen, which
  was not the case here - Oxygen not used in
  burning, inert like Nitrogen (20/80)

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Background History of Science
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History of Science (contd)

• Greeks (Aristotle, Plato and others)
• General theories preferred, consistent with known
  facts but no dedicated experiments
• Saving the phenomena
• Plato essential forms are universal, have a
  greater degree of reality. Led to alchemy.
• Aristotle heavens and earth follow different
  laws also four elements fire, air, earth, water

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History of Science (contd)

• Romans
• Christians came to dominate
• Concerned with Gods will, perfection of God
• India?
• Arabs / Muslims study world to study God
• Chinese
• Mongols, Vandals, Goths etc. conquered but also
  transferred information

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History of Science (contd)

• Southern Europe
• Specialization
• System theory experiment, esp. Francis Bacon
• Northern Europe
• US
• Science generates technology

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Lab 2 - Density

• Manual, Pp 30 34
• Observations and Queries separate
• Exercise 1

• Pick three spherical objects (aluminum, brass,
  lead)
• Describe
• Measure weight of displaced water record
• Use postal scales

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Lab 2 Density (contd)

• Use weight in decimal pounds
• Convert ounces to decimal pounds by dividing
  ounces by 16 (ounces per pound)
• Example 1 lb 3 oz lb 1.3875 lb or 1.39 lb
• Calculators supplied for use in class

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Lab 2 Density (contd)

• Exercise 2
• Weight in air? Weight in water?
• Weights in water and air use LCD fish scale
• Weight in air should be the larger of the two
• Query 3

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Lab Reports

• Cover Sheet
• Your name
• Experiment, number and title
• Lab date
• Names of group

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Lab Reports (contd)

• Data sheet
• Procedure what you did
• Observations and measurements
• If you copy it over or type it, include the
  original also

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Lab Reports (contd)

• Answers to questions, explanations, hypotheses,
  theories, tables, calculations
• Main ideas
• Keep data separate from the rest
• What you did
• What you saw and/or measured
• Good detail in procedure and observations

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Observations and Explanations

• Procedure and Observation I did A (procedure)
  and then I saw and/or measured B (observation)
• Be specific. Object is to let someone else do
  exactly the same thing.
• Sketches are good
• Keep on a separate sheet of paper
• Explanations hypotheses, theories

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Observations and Explanations(contd)

• Explanations can be wrong but observations still
  valid
• Keep them clearly separated
• Write details of observations may be other
  aspects important
• Louis Agassiz observation of a fish

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Review of Essay Assignment

• Due February 9
• Topic We have studied the process by which
  Aristotle's view that nature abhors a vacuum was
  replaced by the sea of air hypothesis. Following
  Copi's seven step account of the scientific
  method, explain how this transition took place.
  Draw on material from the reading, class
  discussion, and the laboratory experiments. Also
  write about what this tells us about the
  scientific method.

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Essay Assignment (contd)

• 3 to 4 pages, 12-point Times Roman,
  double-spaced, 1 margins top and bottom, 1½
  left and right.
• Content 40. Reading and understanding course
  materials, applying them to topic, consistent
  point of view

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Essay Assignment (contd)

• Form 40. Title page, Introduction (roadmap),
  Body (organized, transitions between topics,
  detail to support general points), Conclusion
  (review content, draws to an end)
• Mechanics 20. Spelling, grammar, punctuation.
  Use spell-check and grammar-check (note on
  passive) or dictionary.

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ISP 3360 break time

• ISP 3340 starts

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ISP 3340

• Pictures for Moodle?
• Handout Essay 1 Questions
• Due February 23
• Title page must list topic and descriptive title

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End for ISP 3340

• Lab