Science is a systematic and organized method of studying nature based on observing facts and verifying results.
Here is the most widely accepted concept of the scientific method.
The scientific method is based on:
- Problems and Questions
- Research what is already known
- Find the patterns and trends
- Propose a hypothesis
- A tentative explanation of the problem
- Must be falsifiable – it must be possible to prove it false
- Non-falsifiable statements cannot be a hypothesis (e.x. ‘God exists.’ or ‘Coffee tastes better than tea.’)
- Experiment – collecting data and performing tests
- Analyze the collected data and test results
- Draw a conclusion
- If the data does not support the hypothesis, modify or discard it
- If the data supports the hypothesis, propose a theory.
A theory is a scientifically based explanation of questions of nature at a given time. A theory is subject to change at any time due to a new discovery or technical improvements.
The idea of science is quite straightforward, but the reality is not as simple as that.
Let’s think over the realm of atoms and particles. The most basic condition of science, the repeatability, does not apply anymore. You get a different result at each experiment, such as the location of a particle in motion. We can only guess the result statistically. So is quantum mechanics not a science? The exact definition of science might belong to philosophy. But we need to be flexible to accept how science works.
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