Module 1 Intro
1. Module 1 Intro
1.6. Page 4
Module 1—Chemical Foundations
Lesson Summary
Reflect on the critical questions posed to you at the beginning of this lesson.
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What is the nature of science and technology, and what is their relationship?
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How can science-related societal, political, economic, ethical, and ecological issues be addressed?
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Can scientific knowledge lead to the development of new technologies? Can new technologies lead to or facilitate scientific discovery?
Throughout this course you will view the world through the eyes of a scientist. This will be done by following a cyclical problem-solving model in the quest to explain and predict the natural world. A key element of this model is the use of classification as an essential organizational tool to determine whether observations are qualitative or quantitative; to differentiate between direct and indirect knowledge; and to classify knowledge as empirical or theoretical. When communicating ideas and findings with other people, you will use descriptions, tables, graphs, hypotheses, definitions, generalizations, and laws. The scientific method contributes one perspective to the decision-making process. As you have begun to see from your project work for this module, many opinions representing other perspectives can exist regarding complex issues.
Lesson Glossary
atom: the smallest entity of an element that is characteristic of that element
CANDU: Canadian Deuterium-Uranium reactor; a type of nuclear reactor
ecological perspective: a perspective, either pro or con, referring to the relationships among living organisms and the environment
economic perspective: a perspective, either pro or con, relating to the production, distribution, and consumption of wealth
empirical knowledge: knowledge gained through observation
ethical perspective: a perspective that bases decisions around accepted beliefs of a group
neutron: an uncharged subatomic particle present in the nuclei of most atoms
physical change: any change in the form of a substance in which the chemical composition does not change
political perspective: a perspective, either pro or con, relating to vote-getting actions or campaigning
scientific perspective: a perspective, either pro or con, relating to researching (describing, explaining, and predicting) natural and technological phenomena
societal perspective: a perspective that focuses on ways in which society functions and the ways in which people interact
technological perspective: a perspective, either pro or con, referring to the development and use of machines, instruments, and processes that have a social purpose