Week 4

This week we will look at science and what distinguishes it from pseudo-science or marginal science. We also look at sampling and at dynamic modeling as methods of investigating hypotheses.

Assignments:

CGS = Cartoon Guide to Statistics by Larry Gonick and Woollcott Smith
USR = Understanding Scientific Reasoning by Ronald Giere (4th edition)
GC = Galileo's Commandment edited by Edmund Bolles

Before coming to class, you should have completed the following readings:

CGS: chapter 6 and the study guide to chapter 7
USR: chapter 4
GC: Carl Sagan (pp. 218-225)
Loren C. Eiseley (pp. 333-344)
Handout: cpt. 2-4 from Why People Believe Weird Things by Michael Shermer

In addition, you should have completed the following exercises:

USR:

Any three exercises that you find interesting.

CGS:

All exercises in chapter 6 and 7 of the study guide.

Activities:

Evolution lecture
Scientific reasoning seminar: Marginal science
Statistical sampling
Tide sample data
STELLA and Newtonian cooling

Looking ahead:

In week 5, we will return to the Draw a Scientist Test which we took on the first day; we will look further into issues of sampling and hypothesis testing.