Eddy Egan September 15, 2006

Tulizewski Period ½

Understanding Concepts Pg. 50-51 Questions 1-9

1. I believe that blood circulating through your body is a definite science. This is due
to the fact that in the definition of science is: looking at and learning about the
natural world and producing a body of knowledge about nature; a process based
on observations, explaining observations, and testing the explanation, we are part
of this natural world. Furthermore the observations and stuffy of the body have
their own branch of science called Anatomy.
2. The methods of science that were missing in reaching the conclusion of the true
production of eels were observation of the event, experimentation to demonstrate
the truth or falseness of the hypothesis, and a conclusion to validate the
hypothesis. The knowledge I possess today that would lead me to reach such a
conclusion is based on the fact of knowing how reproduction works and that
reproduction can only happen with the sexual or asexual process.
3. The formal hypothesis Fleming might have stated “If the mold Penicillium killed
a bacteria growing in glassware, then the chemical alone, without the mold, may
also kill bacteria.”
4. The prediction Fleming offered based on his hypothesis, was that the chemical
alone without the mold should also kill the bacteria.
5. I would test Flemings hypothesis by having glassware with the same bacteria in
each and have three test groups; the first being the control group, which would
just have the bacteria; the second group, which would have the bacteria and just
the chemical from the mold; and the final group, which would have the bacteria,
and the chemical and mold. Of course all of these groups would have replications
to further test their how valid they are.
6. If Fleming had explained his observations stating that the mold sent out evil
spirits that caused the death of the bacteria, this explanation would not hold up at
all. It is missing any observations showing the evil spirits killing the bacteria and
no scientific proof therefore, it is a farce.
7. Fleming’s findings showed the relationship between science and technology
because with science he figured out that the mold kills bacteria and with
technology he figured out how to grow the mold in a liquid medium thus making
a relationship between the,
8. Fleming’s explanation was not a law but was a theory. This was because it does
not always kill bacteria and can not have the same effect every single time.
9. It would be a problem if a scientist hurried through his research and was not
careful in reporting and analyzing his data and conclusions in a paper because due
to him rushing he might make errors in the paper making his hypothesis wrong.
Also if others wanted to repeat the experiment they would have a hard time due to
these errors and their conclusions would not be accurate.