Science Literacy and Beliefs [sciencetechnology-center.blogspot.com]

Science Literacy and Beliefs [sciencetechnology-center.blogspot.com]

fr.euronews.net Algunas zonas del cerebro encogen cuando una persona sufre depresión. El lóbulo frontal, los ganglios basales y el hipocampo, son algunas de las áreas cerebrales que se retraen ante los trastornos depresivos. Con un diagnóstico más acertado la distimia o depresión crónica podrá tratarse mejor.

euronews science - La depresión modifica la estructura cerebral

The Survey: Every two years the National Science Foundation produces a report, Science and Engineering Indicators, which surveys the public's attitudes toward science. The report found for instance, that the public's opinion of scientists ranks at the top of 23 other occupations and there is broad support for public funding of science research. In spite of that, Dr. Lawrence Krauss, is unhappy because a section of the 2010 report about the public's science literacy was omitted.

Dr. Krauss' Complaint: In a Scientific American article, Dr. Krauss responded that every two years we relearn the sad fact that U.S. adults are less willing to accept evolution and the big bang as factual than adults in other industrial countries. Except for this time. Was there suddenly a quantum leap in U.S. science literacy? Sadly, no. Rather the National Science Board chose to leave that discussion these issues out of the 2010 edition, claiming the questions were flawed indicators of scientific knowledge because responses conflated knowledge and beliefs.

Is the Complaint Valid? The National Science Board was right that the section confused knowledge and beliefs. For example, there is evidence for the Big Bang theory and many people know about it, but they have not incorporated it into their beliefs. Only physicists and mathematicians would likely know what a singularity is, let alone believe the universe arose from one. Then, there is the problem of how the singularity came to be. Likewise, many people know of the adaptation of species to their environment such as increasing resistance of viruses and bacteria to antibiotics and of insects to DDT. They may also be aware of our ancestors such as Luci and Ardi and know of the evolution of the horse. However, if you insist that the spontaneous generation of life is part of evolution, it may be rejected.

Dr Krauss is missing something importan t. Aristotle established science as a method for understanding nature by using observation and reason. It is not a body of facts to be memorized and believed. As scientists gather more evidence, what we now regard as fact may be replaced with better ideas. We should not make "accepting evolution and the big bang as factual" a litmus test for science literacy. Just as scientists think religion should not be dogmatic, scientists should also refrain from dogmatism. Insisting people accept scientific theories which conflict with their religious beliefs just makes them more likely to mistrust science on issues where it really matters.

Improving Science Literacy: As a practical matter, it is not likely that someone's mind can be changed by claiming their beliefs are wrong or that they are based on mythology. Science teachers must deal with students who already have a belief system established. Their strategy should be to present science as a method that us es observation and reason to understand the physical world. Teachers must focus on the background knowledge and the evidence, and hope that at some point the student would see any conflicts and try to resolve them.

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Question by wodasha: What is the difference between computer science and electrical engineering ? I'm asking this because I really want to do the physics/engineering program at my local community college. But I also want to get a degree in computer science (which I'm currently in). Are there any places where I can get information about the difference between electrical engineering and computer science ? Best answer for What is the difference between computer science and electrical engineering ?:

Answer by jimmymae2000
No electricity in Computer Science.

Answer by madhavankkutty
Electrical engineering deals with mostly "hardware" - components that make up electronic/electrical devices and the theory behind their functions - circuit theory, control systems etc. Computer science mainly deals with the "software" side of thins including creating algorithms, design of compilers etc.

Answer by mike1942-f
Although the exact content will depend on the college you go to and their emphasis (which should be a factor in choosing your college) Electrical Engineering will primarily deal with transmission and use of electrical power to carry out work tasks - motors, machinery, power control, etc Computer Science can vary more because some schools will include the hardware aspects of computer building (chips, etc.), of computer interfacing (sensors, ADC, etc.) while others will concentrate on languages, operating systems, algorithms, etc with little hardware details. Back when microcomputers were introduced, I had a software background and bought an assembled single board computer and taught myself the basics of digital chip circuitry as I expanded. As part of the hobbyist group I encountered people who could spin rings around me in hardware details, but found software bewildering and because I had knowledge of both was able to do interesting jobs that connected the two.

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