Types of Science
What is pure science?
Scientific research whose main purpose is to enrich the scientific knowledge base (motivated by curiosity to understand).
What is archaeology?
The study of past human life as revealed by preserved relics.
What is the internal test?
A historical test that attempts to determine whether or not a document contradicts itself. (Does the document agree with itself?)
What is the known age of an item?
The age of an artifact as determined by a date printed on it or a reference to the artifact in a work of history.
What is science?
The systematic study of the natural world through observation and experimentation in order to formulate general laws.
What is applied science?
A form of science that solves real-world problems or is motivated to use science to make something better.
What are artifacts?
Objects made by people, such as tools, weapons, containers, etc.
What is the external test?
A test that asks whether the document contradicts other known historical facts.
What is dendrochronology?
The process of counting tree rings to determine the age of a tree.
In layered rock or earth, what is the principle that helps establish relative ages of artifacts (not the absolute age).
The principle of superposition.
What is technology?
A new process or machine that makes life easier (or better); it can result from pure science, applied science, or accident.
What is geology?
The study of Earth's history as revealed in the rocks that make up the Earth.
What is the bibliographic test?
A historical test that attempts to determine whether the version of the document that exists is a faithful representation of the original.
What is radiometric dating?
Using a radioactive process to determine the age of an item or artifact.
What are master tree-ring patterns?
Cataloged regional tree-ring patterns that correspond to weather patterns of already-dated trees; used to help date preserved logs.
If a scientist is performing an experiment to discover why rainbows form in the sky, what kind of science is being applied?
Pure science
What is Paleontology?
The study of life's history as revealed in the preserved remains of once-living organisms.
What is the bibliographic test best used to do?
To evaluate how much time has passed between the writing of an original document and the earliest surviving copies.
What is the principle of superposition?
When artifacts are found in rock or earth that is layered, the deeper layers contain the older artifacts.
True or false? The internal test gives the benefit of the doubt to the document itself rather than the person who is studying it.
True.
If a scientist is performing an experiment designed to make a television picture sharper, what kind of science is being used?
Applied science
What is life science?
A term that encompasses all scientific pursuits related to living organisms.
In order for a document to be considered historically accurate, what needs to happen?
We can use textual criticism, the copy-text method, or use the process of eclecticism (internal, external, and bibliographic tests.)
What are some radioactive isotopes used in radiometric dating?
Carbon-14 (C14), Uranium-238 (U238), Uranium-235 (U235)
Name the three categories of scientific endeavor discussed in Module 4.
Pure science, applied science, and technology.