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About the big bang


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Except, of course, when it comes to climate change where the science, as we know, is 'settled'.

Heheh. I sense that and "GM modified" (whatever) allow "three-out-of-tenners"

(trivial science quiz) to "shout stuff" on popular newspaper "science" threads? ;)

Don't get me wrong. I would LOVE there to be greater understanding of science

among the lay public! I even modestly try to do my bit for this. But I so often tire

of an obsessive examination and negation of cool & entertaining science theory

as being anathema to some purist "philosophical" definition of "true" science? :o

I would love there to be a return to "ordinary" and FUN science. That isn't some

kind of buttress to the (perceived) "irrational" enemy without and within <yawn> 

I knew a few "Popper reading" Physicists. But I'd mostly move down the bar.  :D

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Heheh. I sense that and "GM modified" (whatever) allow "three-out-of-tenners"

(trivial science quiz) to "shout stuff" on popular newspaper "science" threads? ;)

Don't get me wrong. I would LOVE there to be greater understanding of science

among the lay public! I even modestly try to do my bit for this. But I so often tire

of an obsessive examination and negation of cool & entertaining science theory

as being anathema to some purist "philosophical" definition of "true" science? :o

I would love there to be a return to "ordinary" and FUN science. That isn't some

kind of buttress to the (perceived) "irrational" enemy without and within <yawn> 

I knew a few "Popper reading" Physicists. But I'd mostly move down the bar.  :D

Macavity, I couldn't agree more.  I teach Physics at secondary school level.  From my 1st year classes in S1 through to Advanced Higher S6 (A level) I try my best to make fun and wonder first and foremost in every lesson.  It really is such an amazing feeling when you catch a pupil saying "that's magic"  -  I wish it happened more often. I might be wrong but I think it was Einstein who said something along the lines "show them the amazing first then go over the math".   If we can't instil and promote a sense of curiosity in science - the "what if moment" -  then we may as well pack up and go home. Physics above all is a joy to teach, it allows you to indulge that child like sense of wonder without having to make excuses :p

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Macavity, I couldn't agree more.  I teach Physics at secondary school level.  From my 1st year classes in S1 through to Advanced Higher S6 (A level) I try my best to make fun and wonder first and foremost in every lesson.  It really is such an amazing feeling when you catch a pupil saying "that's magic"  -  I wish it happened more often. I might be wrong but I think it was Einstein who said something along the lines "show them the amazing first then go over the math".   If we can't instil and promote a sense of curiosity in science - the "what if moment" -  then we may as well pack up and go home. Physics above all is a joy to teach, it allows you to indulge that child like sense of wonder without having to make excuses :p

I wish you'd taught me physics. In my O level year we asked what Relativity was and were told we didn't need to know. Was this some down beat sixties secondary modern? Nope, it was Bolton School. I hope it's improved since then!

(I had an old school friend to stay the other day. He's a bright guy, Cambridge historian, and I told him about the double slit experiment and some snippets from Feynman's QED. It was incredible fun talking about this stuff and about how utterly and exhileratingly weird it all is.)

Olly

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I'm still sat on the pole waiting for my athletes foot to heal up.

Which proves my point. It won't!  :grin:

ah that'll be Biology you want then.  Not a real science, more like stamp collecting :p

Have a care! Someone will come up with, All biology is chemistry, all chemistry is physics and all physics is mathematics if you're not careful. I wouldn't do such a thing though... :grin:

And besides, what's the greatest single theory in the whole of science? Silly question of course, but evolution by natural selection has to be in with a shout. Hey, what do I know, our biology was worse taught than our physics and as for chemsitry, don't get me started. I had a great French teacher though, which is just as well as things have turned out.

Olly

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(I had an old school friend to stay the other day. He's a bright guy, Cambridge historian, and I told him about the double slit experiment and some snippets from Feynman's QED. It was incredible fun talking about this stuff and about how utterly and exhileratingly weird it all is.)

Cheers Olly. You hit the nail on the head, it is fun isn't it. My background is in mechanical engineering so classical Physics is pretty much familiar.  I have to work all the harder though when it comes to teaching non Newtonian physics but here at least the subject matter sells itself.  Of course we didn't have the benefit of the internet when we were at school - now we have access to really cool animations and videos to help get across the more abstract concepts. You Tube alone is such a fantastic resource as is the BBC I Player and all the recent  Horizon videos on particle physics and relativity.  I think this is a great time to be teaching Physics - the subject seems to have gone through a renaissance,kicked off largely due to the publicity generated by the work at CERN - long may it continue.

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Olly, Biology is only colouring in between the lines :grin:

Best quote I heard on the theme of inter discipline rivalry came from the tv show The Big Bang Theory when Sheldon described Engineering as the "younger slower brother of Physics".  As an engineer I really saw the funny side of that :smiley:

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Yes, I think we should definitely "hear it" for our secondary school science teachers...

So often the prime (indeed my) inspiration! Even if a quantum leap from dodging board

dusters to "Call me Brian" was a tad hard to adjust... re. one 60/70s Physics master. :)

In similar way, I retain circumspection about the way science is promoted as a kind

of antidote for burgeoning societal irrationality. BUT I concede (after a good kicking)

that there may be modest virtues in modern "skeptic" and "geek" movements. (qv)   :p

If not contrary SGL's "no politics" rule (delete if needed) I would like to propose the

following as a *good read* (Though perhaps we should avoid detailed comments?) ;)

https://sci2pol.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/why-the-geek-movement-is-bad-for-science/

Perhaps the first discussion I have seen that hasn't rapidly become open warfare?

Some thought provoking links... Featuring a *statement* by Prof. Brian Cox no less.

If nothing else I'll now use the term "Public Intellectual" rather than "TV Scientist!" :D

P.S. Back on topic, who can / should decide the validity of science. I still hope it's

Peer Review, rather than some "Twitter Vote" etc. Idem science funding / worth etc.

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