[Phys-L] Scientific methods

[Ludwik Kowalski <kowalskil@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>]

On Fridayday, Feb 4, 2005, John Denker wrote:

> . . . Please, let's stop taking things on faith.  That phrase
> refers to believing things in the absence of evidence.
> That's the opposite of what science is.  For a discussion
> of scientific methods in general, see

    http://www.av8n.com/physics/scientific-methods.htm

It is not possible to "stop taking things on faith" and to help
students to master material in any science course. The laboratory
discovery approach is extremely important but it is used to learn only
a small percentage of what is in a typical textbook. Even scientists do
not perform all experiments in their specialties; they often accept
discoveries made (and published in refereed journals) by other
scientists. How many high school teachers had an opportunity to
experiment with scattering of alpha particles, as Rutherford and Geiger
did in 1911? How many university teachers had opportunities to perform
experiments through which existence of quarks was discovered in 1960s
and 1970s? Not too many. We read about such experiments in reputable
journals, and in textbooks. Then we accept what was discovered by
others. And we teach it. Should we feel guilty? We trust that contents
of science textbooks are verified by recognized authorities in relevant
fields. Yes, I know, it is a complicated issue.
Ludwik Kowalski