SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY

Chapter 1

What Is Science?
You may have seen shampoo and soap commercials on television. Most of the time,
the advertisements say that these products are “scientifically tested.” Science does indeed
help manufacturing companies come up with better products. Many things which you never
thought could exist now abound around you. For example, over a hundred years ago, people
thought that it would be impossible to make a flying machine. As people’s scientific
knowledge increased, the machine became a reality. Today we have fast-moving jets and
airplanes that move faster than the speed of sound.
This lesson will tell you about science and its importance. After studying this lesson,
you should be able to:
1. describe science and its major branches;
2. determine whether a common belief has scientific basis or not; and
3. discuss the steps of the scientific method.
ACTIVATE PHASE
Read and study the following
In 1879 Thomas Alva Edison, an
American inventor, noticed that when
electricity flowed through a piece of iron
wire, the iron wire became red hot. The
iron wire glowed brightly but then the light
was not bright enough to light up a whole
room. He used a thinner piece of wire and
allowed electricity to pass through it. He
pumped out air (containing oxygen) from
a bulb using a machine. He then enclosed
the wire he was using in what he thought
was an oxygen-free bulb. He repeated this
experiment, pumping out more air each time he used the wire in lighting the bulb. He then
discovered that the length of time that the wire glowed was related to the amount of
air present in the bulb.
He noticed that the wire glowed but the light was still not bright enough. This time,
he tried other metals. After trying many times, he discovered that a thin piece of metal
called tungsten could glow so bright that it could light up an entire room.
Today, Edison is known as the inventor of the incandescent light bulb.

ACQUIRE PHASE
What is science? Science is a systematized body of knowledge covering general
truths and facts. How do you get these facts? You obtain facts through observation and
experimentation. Do you still remember what Edison did? He first observed that a thin
piece of wire glowed when electricity passed through it. He started with this observation.
With this idea in mind, he tried and experimented with other methods and then used other
metals. He then discovered that tungsten glowed steadily and was bright enough to light
up a room.
Hence, science can also be defined as the systematic study of the properties of the
physical world, by means of repeatable experiments and measurements and the
development of objective theories describing these activities and predicting features that
could be tested by experiments.
The major branches of science include:
Chemistry is the study of the composition of substances and the changes they undergo.
Chemists work with reactions between substances to create plastics, medicines,
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dyes, plastics and many other useful materials.

Biology is the study of living things. It has two main branches:
a. Botany is the study of plants. The study of plants allows us to know their uses.
Most of the medicines you buy are made from the active substances found
in plants.
b. Zoology is the study of animals.
Physics is the study of matter, energy, motion and forces. Physicists study the forms and
properties of matter and energy—heat, light, electricity, magnetism and nuclear
energy. Breakthroughs in physics have given us the supersonic jet, the laser,
computer and live satellite transmission, among others.

Moreover, early man saw many of the things we

see today. He saw the sun rise and set. He saw the moon
change its size and shape from one night to the next until
it disappeared and appeared again. He also saw the stars
in the sky. He saw how the wind and rain caused
changes in the surface of the earth. Seeing these things,
he sought ways by which to explain their occurrence.
How did science begin? No one really knows when
people started to study things scientifically. Definitely,
people have always been curious about the various phenomena around them and have
sought an explanation for these. At the beginning, they took these events to mean that other
events were about to happen. These explanations took on the form of beliefs. Some of these
beliefs are:
• A falling star was a sign of good luck.
• Eclipses were caused by a sky dragon called Laho. Every time an eclipse occurred,
it meant Laho swallowed the sun or the moon.
• The eclipsed moon was red because it was bleeding. The marks on the face of the
moon were marks of the dragon’s teeth.
• Beating gongs could make Laho let go of the moon.
Can you think of other beliefs that our forefathers had to explain the things
around them?
“One of our local beliefs is that it is hard to catch fish during a full moon.”

Fish are easily attracted to light. During a full moon, the light reflected in the water
is scattered and covers a wide range. This causes the fish to be scattered about. A
fisherman’s lamp will not be bright enough to attract and keep a school of fish together.
Thus, this belief has a scientific basis.
A scientific mind acts based on sound reasoning. Some people act on mere impulse;
they do not think hard enough before they act. Some people, on the other hand, refuse to
give up old habits. Some simply imitate what others are doing. Still others cling to old
beliefs and practices. It is true that some of our local beliefs do have scientific basis, but
others are mere superstitions and do not have scientific basis at all.
For example, the belief that breaking a mirror will bring years of bad luck has no
scientific basis. Breaking a mirror is simply an unfortunate accident. You should simply
learn to take care of objects which easily break. Some beliefs and practices, on the other
hand, do have scientific bases. For example, one common practice is placing a metal spoon
in a glass before pouring hot water into it. People believe that the metal spoon prevents the
glass from breaking. This is not superstition. It has a logical basis. Metals are good heat
conductors. When hot water is poured into a glass with a metal spoon in it, much of the
heat is absorbed by the spoon and is conducted away from the glass. This prevents the glass
from breaking.
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Can you think of other beliefs and practices and tell which are just superstitions
and which are scientifically based?

APPLY PHASE
In separate sheet of paper answer the following question.

1. What are the things which early man saw?

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

2. Think of the possible explanations he came up with for the things that occurred around
him.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
3. Give an example of a belief that people used to explain a certain phenomenon. Is this
belief scientific? Why?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

ASSESS PHASE
Multiple Choice:
I. Choose the best answer for the following question. Write your answer on separate sheet
of paper.

1. A systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world
through observation and experiment.
A. Psychology B. Science C. Physics D. Chemistry

2. An excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings.

A. Superstition B. Scientific C. Belief D. Facts

3. The based on or characterized by the method and principles of science.

A. Superstition B. Scientific C. Belief D. Facts

4. The study of animals.

A. Botany B. Zoology C. Biology D. Animalogy

5. The study of matter, energy, motion and force.

A. Chemistry B. Biology C. Paleontology D. Physics

II. The following are some common beliefs and practices. Identify which of these beliefs
are superstitions and which are scientifically based. Write your answer on separate
sheet of paper.

1. A young girl who sings in front of a stove while cooking will

marry a widower.
2. A marriage solemnized during a full moon will become
successful.
3. You should not look directly at the sun. Otherwise the spirit of the
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sun will punish you for doing this.

4. Losing a tooth in a dream is a sign that a relative has died or will
die.
5. If animals become restless, a disaster is coming.
6. At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold.
7. A black cat crossing your path will bring bad luck.
8. When you lose something, go to a fortune-teller. He/She can tell
you where to find it.
9.If you catch a small fish, throw it back or the spirit of the water
will punish you.
10. If you touch a lizard, you will get warts (kulugo).

SCIENTIFIC METHOD
ACTIVATE PHASE
Read and study the following situation.
Nena wants to determine which detergent is the
best. There are too many detergent brands at the sari-
sari store, so before buying any, she first asked other
housewives to know which detergent each one
considered the best. There were various responses but
she decided to consider only the top four choices. The
top four detergents are Malinis, Maputi, Mabango and
Matipid. She bought these detergent brands from the
nearby sari-sari store. She thought that Maputi, the most
expensive brand, would be the best.
Nena decided to use one brand of detergent each time she washed clothes. For each
brand, she took note of how long the detergent lasted, how pleasant the smell of the clothes
was after they had been washed and how well the detergent got rid of dirt. After observing
all this, she was convinced that Malinis was the best detergent. It lasted longer than all
three other detergents. Clothes that were washed with Malinis had the most pleasant smell.
This brand also got rid of dirt faster than all the other detergents. Nena was glad to know
that the most expensive brand is not necessarily the best all the time.
From then on, Nena used Malinis every time she washed clothes.

ACQUIRE PHASE
Do you like to observe the things around you? Have you tried to investigate
something that made you curious? If you have, then you may have tried what scientists do
when they investigate something. Scientists follow a procedure when studying a certain
phenomenon. This procedure is called the scientific method.
The following are the steps of the scientific method:
1. Identify the problem.
A problem is based on one’s observations. In Nena’s case her problem
was: Which is the best detergent?
2. Gather and study information.
Before setting out to answer the problem, Nena decided to get information
about the detergents. There are many sources of information. You can
observe and find out more about the problem you want to solve. You may
also want to ask other people about it. People’s ideas and arguments may be
considered as sources of information. Nena asked other housewives which
detergent they thought was the best. She decided to choose from among the
top four detergents preferred by the other housewives.
3. Formulate a hypothesis.
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A hypothesis is an intelligent guess to explain an observation. What was

Nena’s hypothesis? She thought that the most expensive brand of detergent,
Maputi, was the best detergent. Why do you think she had such a hypothesis?
The hypothesis may come from experience and observation. She may have
noticed in the past that if something was expensive, it usually had a better
quality than the cheaper products.
4. Test the hypothesis.
How did Nena test her hypothesis? She tested her hypothesis through
experimentation. A given question may have several possible answers but
only one right answer. Nena tested the four detergent brands for the
following:
a. how long the detergent lasted;
b. how pleasant-smelling the clothes washed with the detergent were;
c. how well the detergent got rid of the dirt in clothes.
These things which Nena observed are called variables. A variable is
anything that changes in value or amount. For example, how well each
detergent got rid of dirt is a variable. The efficiency with which dirt is rid of
is different for each detergent. Malinis got rid of dirt better than Maputi,
Mabango and Matipid did.
5. Make a conclusion.
Do you recall Nena’s conclusion? Based on the results of her experiment,
Nena concluded that Malinis lasted longer than the other detergents. She also
concluded that clothes washed with Malinis were the most pleasant smelling
and that Malinis got rid of dirt better than the three other detergent brands
did.
6. Verify the conclusion.
You can see that based on her findings, Nena had to reject her hypothesis that
Malinis was the best detergent. How do you think Nena can verify her
conclusion? Well, to be sure about her findings, she may want to repeat the
experiment again. In repeating it, Nena should make sure that she follows the
same procedure. She should first ask what are considered the top four
detergents in her community. Then she should test each detergent the same
way she tested the detergents in her first study. The experiment may be
repeated by the same person who first did it or by another person. If the
results are almost the same, we say that the conclusion is valid.

Scientist and their Contribution

Did you know that our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, was a
great scientist himself? He made many scientific contributions. He
was a lover of nature. He discovered many animals here in our
country. Some of the animals that he discovered were named in his
honor. These include Draco rizali (the flying lizard), Rachophorus
rizali (a toad) and Apogonia rizali (a beetle with five antennae).
During his exile in Dapitan, he built the waterway system of the
town.
The beginning of science can be traced back to the observation of natural
phenomena. Examples of natural phenomena include typhoons, earthquakes, tides and
eclipses. Do you still remember what an observation is? It is the gathering of facts through
the use of your five senses. These five senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.
Early man used his senses to explain the things around him.
Egyptians were the first people to explain the existence of the universe. The earliest
civilization began with the Egyptians and Sumerians about 5,000 years ago. How did the
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Egyptians describe the universe? They saw the universe as a very large room with the earth
as its floor and the sky as its ceiling. Ancient Greeks were the first to develop scientific
thinking. Many Greek philosophers speculated on many natural events.

Famous Scientists
People who devote their time to studying science are called scientists. The following are
some famous scientists.

Aristotle (384–322 B.C.) was the first natural philosopher in the

ancient world. He laid the foundation for modern scientific
thought.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179) was a Benedictine nun. She

was an outstanding scientist in the Middle Ages. She wrote the
medical books Causea et Curae and Physica
which were about diseases and their cures. These were
considered the greatest scientific works of the Middle Ages.

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) was a Polish scientist

considered to be the founder of modern astronomy. He advanced
the theory that the sun is the center of the solar system and that all
of the planets (including the earth) revolve around the sun. This
model of the solar system is now known as the Copernican
system.

Galileo Galilei (1564–1642) was a mathematician, physicist and

astronomer. He proposed laws that described the motions of
falling bodies, projectiles and the pendulum. He studied heavenly
bodies using the telescope.

Johannes Kepler (1571–1630) was an astronomer who formulated

the laws of planetary motion.
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Isaac Newton (1642–1727) was an English mathematician,

physicist and astronomer. He formulated the laws of gravity and
motion.

Charles Darwin (1809–1882) was an English scientist. His

greatest work was The Origin of Species where he discussed the
theory of evolution and natural seection.

Marie Curie (1867–1934) is the first woman to receive the Nobel

Prize in Physics. She was awarded this prize for her discovery of
radium in 1903. She discovered it with her husband Pierre Curie
and their colleague Henri Becquerel. She was also the first person
to receive two Nobel awards. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry in 1911 for isolating pure radium.

Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) was a French scientist who became

known for his work on biological fermentation and decay. This led
to his formulation of the germ theory of disease and the discovery
of sterilization of food through the use of heat.

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) proposed the theory of relativity.

This theory debunked the Newtonian belief that time was absolute.
Surprisingly, he won the Nobel Prize for his work on photoelectric
effect and not for the theory of relativity.

We owe a lot to these scientists. Because of their discoveries, our lives are now
more comfortable.
The following is a list of some great Filipino scientists and their contributions.

Clare R. Baltazar is the author of the book Philippine Insects. Her

works on insects were very useful for research on insect control.
Her other scientific contributions include discovering 8 species and
1 subgenus of the insect Hymnoptera. She also discovered 108 new
species of Philippine parasitic wasps.

Filomena Campos is known for her work on cotton in the

Philippines. Her studies helped develop a technology for cotton
production. This technology was developed within a short period—
3 years. She is also involved in research on sunflowers as a possible
source of edible oil and livestock feed (feed for cows, goats, etc.).
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Luz Oliveros-Belardo is a chemist and researcher. She studied

essential oils that can be collected from Philippine plants. These
essential oils have many uses. They may be used as flavoring,
fragrance materials, medicine and energy sources. She loved her
work so much that she spent 50 years of her life studying these
essential oils. She was able to collect 33 new Philippine essential
oils and studied their physical and chemical properties.

Eduardo A. Quisumbing is known for his studies in botany. He

was one of the first researchers to study Philippine medicinal
plants and orchids. He wrote the book Medicinal Plants of the
Philippines, which is considered one of the first books on this area.
He has also written 129 scientific articles.

Bienvenido O. Juliano studied the characteristics of grains and

proteins and how these affect the quality of rice. He showed that the
amount of a substance called amylose determines the quality of rice
grains in Asia. The less of this substance that rice has, the less sticky
it will be.

Melecio S. Magno is a physicist. He conducted studies on the

absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy of rare earth crystals, the
effects of typhoons on atmospheric ozone, sky luminosity,
atmospheric radiation and gravitation.

Emil Q. Javier is known for his very practical solutions to

agricultural problems. Because he knows that many farmers have
very limited resources, he thought of practical methods of improving
crop production using cheap materials.

Alfredo C. Santos did research on the chemistry of natural products

and the medicinal properties of Philippine plants. His work on herbs
showed the properties of substances in local plants. His concern for
poor Filipinos who cannot afford expensive drugs spurred him to
conduct studies on local materials needed for the development of
drugs.

Gregorio T. Velasquez is known for his work in phycology.

Phycology is the study of algae. He devoted 30 years of his life to
studying an algae called Myxophyceae. He was able to produce 47
basic and 77 valuable scientific papers on the subject. Dr. Velasquez
was also a good educator. He taught and
developed generations of good Filipino
biologists, some of whom became members of
the National Academy of Science and Technology.

Gregorio Y. Zara is noted for his contributions in engineering. His

inventions are a source of pride for us Filipinos. His inventions include
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the video phone, an alcohol-fueled airplane, a solar energy absorber, an aircraft propeller
that is made up entirely of wood, a wooden microscope and a semi-automatic propeller-
making machine.

APPLY PHASE
In separate sheet of paper, answer the following:
1. List five foreign scientists and their achievements.
a. ______________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________
e. ______________________________________________________
2. List five Filipino scientists and their achievements.
a. ______________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________
d. ______________________________________________________
e. ______________________________________________________

3. Name the steps of the scientific method.

_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

ASSESS PHASE
A scientist is trying to find in which setup – under the sun or in a dim area – the
cultured bacteria he is working on will increase in number faster. While doing the
experiment, he accidentally spilled acid on one of the two culture dishes. Thinking that
thus would cause errors in the experiment, he decided to set this aside, keeping it in a dark
area. After two days, he noticed that the bacteria increased in number. He thought that light
was the main factor that caused the increase in the number of bacteria. He then decided to
prepare four setups. He placed the two culture dishes in a dark area and exposed two others
under the sun. The experiment did not show any positive result.

In a separate sheet of paper, answer the question below:

1. What is the problem?

________________________________________________________________________

2. What is the hypothesis?

________________________________________________________________________
3. Relate how experiment was performed.
________________________________________________________________________

4. What is the result?

________________________________________________________________________

5. What is the conclusion?

________________________________________________________________________