Strand 2: History and Nature of Science
This section is 10.3% of the test.

 

Concept 1: History of Science as a Human Endeavor

Identify individual, cultural, and technological contributions to scientific knowledge.

PO 1.  Identify how diverse people and/or cultures, past and present, have made important contributions to scientific innovations (e.g., Watson and Crick [scientists], support Strand 4; Rosalind Franklin [scientist], supports Strand 4; Charles Darwin [scientist], supports Strand 4; George Washington Carver [scientist, inventor], supports Strand 4; Joseph Priestley [scientist], supports Strand 5; Sir Frances Bacon [philosopher], supports Strand 5; Isaac Newton [scientist], supports Strand 5).

PO 2.  Evaluate the effects of the following major scientific milestones on society:

·       Mendelian Genetics

·       Newton’s Laws

PO 3.  Evaluate the impact of a major scientific development occurring within the past decade.

PO 4.  Evaluate career opportunities related to life and physical sciences.

 

Concept 2:  Nature of Scientific Knowledge

Understand how science is a process for generating knowledge.

PO 1.  Apply the following scientific processes to other problem solving or decision making situations:

·         observing

·         questioning

·         communicating

·         comparing

·         measuring

·         classifying

·         predicting

·         organizing data

·         inferring

·         generating hypotheses

·         identifying variables

 

 

PO 2.  Describe how scientific knowledge is subject to change as new information and/or technology challenges prevailing theories.

PO 3.  Defend the principle that accurate record keeping, openness, and replication are essential for maintaining an investigator’s credibility with other scientists and society.

PO 4.  Explain why scientific claims may be questionable if based on very small samples of data, biased samples, or samples for which there was no control.