What is science?

Imagine that you are preparing to do a ritual to make it rain in your town after a long season of drought.

Or that you are fearing an eclipse of the Sun believing that it will be the end of the world.

How about if you suddenly start to feel sick, your stomach hurts, your fever starts to rise, several days go by and you don't get better, and to help you, your loved ones sing and dance to make you better? Or prepare a pasty ointment to put on your body?

Think and discuss

How do you think life has changed since the existence of sciences such as meteorology, astronomy or medicine?

Science is an activity that uses observation and logic to try to understand the world and solve problems.

This definition can be applied to any type of topic, such as:

Nature: Why do plants grow in some areas and not in others?
Society: Why is the average age of people living in Galicia greater than that of people living in Madrid?
People: Why do smokers have a lower life expectancy?

Think

Science is organised into specialised fields or branches, to make it easier to study different types of situations. The following are examples of scientific fields:

Biology.
Physics.
Chemistry.
Sociology.
Medicine.
Psychology.

Although these fields study different things, they have something in common: a rational approach and a method to make sure their findings are valid.

What other scientific fields do you know?

How are Physics and Chemistry different?

Physics and chemistry are experimental sciences because, in addition to observation and logic, they also use experimentation and measurement.

But what do they study? This is where they are different.

Physics

Chemistry

It studies the changes experienced by matter in which its internal nature does not change.

For example, if we put water from a glass into a saucepan and heat it up, it becomes steam but the substance is still water.

Chemistry studies the composition of matter and changes that affect its nature.

For example, an electric current can split water into hydrogen and oxygen. This is a chemical change because it has converted water into other substances.

From years past, you know that matter is everything that occupies a place in space and that has mass.

It can be detected and described by means of its properties, such as mass, volume, density, colour, smell, viscosity, etc.

The properties of matter can be classified as follows:

General properties

Characteristic or specific properties

These can describe any type of matter and can have any value, such as mass, volume or temperature.

They cannot be used to identify the matter.

Their value depends on the type of matter, not on the quantity we have, and they allow us to distinguish different types of matter.

Density, hardness, water solubility or electrical conductivity are characteristic properties.

Research and discuss

How popular are online psychics and information based on zodiac signs? Why do you think that is?

Astrology or clairvoyance are "occult sciences", based on superstitions or established traditions with no rational basis. With them, swindlers or frauds can deceive people and cause damage to their health or their finances.

All people need to have a minimum knowledge of science to differentiate between true and pseudo-scientific knowledge and to make informed decisions.

Match the following aspects of the subject to the science that studies them.

The changes that matter undergoes that do not alter its nature.
The changes that matter undergoes that transform it into another of a different nature.

Chemistry
Physics

Which of these are studied by physics and which are studied by chemistry?

Physics

Chemistry

Choose the correct answers.

Volume and are properties of matter. With them, we identify matter.

The specific properties of matter allow us to identify matter, since each type of matter has a specific value, which is independent of the amount of matter we have. An example is .

Do the crossword.

General property of a subject that tells us how much space it occupies.
Characteristic property that indicates whether a material is light or heavy.
General property of matter that tells us if an object is going to burn us when we touch it.
General property of material that informs us of the amount of material we have.
Characteristic property of matter that tells us if one material can scratch another.

Choose the right type of property in each case.

General property

Specific property

Are these science or fake science?

Science

Fake science

Read the following text and answer the questions.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, come and see! Come and be amazed by Dr. Einstenio's discovery, the greatest advance in science in the last centuries! Try the fantastic RapidStar pills! Your spectrum will travel through time and space without any major inconvenience! Visit your ancestors whatever star they are in!"