Textbooks on science may give you a wrong impression that studying science is dry and all too serious and that
[question] Question Textbooks on science may give you a wrong impression that studying science is dry and all too serious and that scientists are absent-minded introverts who never laugh or grin. This image of science and scientists is patently false. Scientists, like any other group of humans, have their share of humorists, and many have led their lives with a great sense of fun and adventure, even as they seriously pursued their scientific work. Two great physicists of this genre are Gamow and...
Though the statement quoted above may be disputed, most physicists do have a feeling that the great laws of physics
[question] Question Though the statement quoted above may be disputed, most physicists do have a feeling that the great laws of physics are at once simple and beautiful. Some of the notable physicists, besides Dirac, who have articulated this feeling, are Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Chandrasekhar and Feynman. You are urged to make special efforts to get access to the general books and writings by these and other great masters of physics. (See the Bibliography at the end of this book.) Their writ...
It is more important to have beauty in the equations of physics than to have them agree with experiments
[question] Question “It is more important to have beauty in the equations of physics than to have them agree with experiments”. The great British physicist P. A. M. Dirac held this view. Criticize this statement. Look out for some equations and results in this book which strike you as beautiful. [/question] [solution] Solution The belief of Dirac is true. Equations representing entire concepts and hold up against experimental results are automatically simple, small and symmetrical, making them g...
Though the law gives women equal status in India, many people hold unscientific views on a woman’s innate nature
[question] Question Though the law gives women equal status in India, many people hold unscientific views on a woman’s innate nature, capacity and intelligence, and in practice give them a secondary status and role. Demolish this view using scientific arguments, and by quoting examples of great women in science and other spheres; and persuade yourself and others that, given equal opportunity, women are on par with men. [question] [solution] Solution There is no difference in the ability of women...
India has had a long and unbroken tradition of great scholarship — in mathematics, astronomy, linguistics, logic and ethics.
[question] Question India has had a long and unbroken tradition of great scholarship — in mathematics, astronomy, linguistics, logic and ethics. Yet, in parallel with this, several superstitious and obscurantist attitudes and practices flourished in our society and unfortunately continue even today — among many educated people too. How will you use your knowledge of science to develop strategies to counter these attitudes? [/question] [solution] Solution Poverty and illiteracy are the two main f...
Science, like any knowledge, can be put to good or bad use, depending on the user. Given below are some of the applications of science.
[question] Question Science, like any knowledge, can be put to good or bad use, depending on the user. Given below are some of the applications of science. Formulate your views on whether the particular application is good, bad or something that cannot be so clearly categorized: (a) Mass vaccination against small pox to curb and finally eradicate this disease from the population. (This has already been successfully done in India). (b) Television for eradication of illiteracy and for mass communi...
Attempt to formulate your ‘moral’ views on the practice of science. Imagine yourself stumbling upon a discovery,
[question] Question Attempt to formulate your ‘moral’ views on the practice of science. Imagine yourself stumbling upon a discovery, which has great academic interest but is certain to have nothing but dangerous consequences for the human society. How, if at all, will you resolve your dilemma? [/question] [solution] Solution A scientist works for the truth. Every scientific discovery reveals a certain truth of nature. Any discovery, bad or good for humanity, must, therefore, be made public. But ...
Write in about 1000 words a fiction piece based on your speculation on the science and technology of the twenty-second century
[question] Question Write in about 1000 words a fiction piece based on your speculation on the science and technology of the twenty-second century. [/question] [solution] Solution Imagine that you are in a spaceship, along with your friends, moving towards Mars. The spaceship's body is made of a specially constructed material that gets hard as its temperature increases. This spacecraft uses nuclear fuel and three nuclear power plants which are located in a spacecraft. Alternatively, two of them ...
It is often said that the world is witnessing now a second industrial revolution, which will transform the society as radically as did the first.
[question] Question It is often said that the world is witnessing now a second industrial revolution, which will transform the society as radically as did the first. List some key contemporary areas of science and technology, which are responsible for this revolution. [/question] [solution] Solution Solution: Some of the key contemporary areas of technology and science that are now mainly responsible for a new industrial revolution and are likely to occur in the near future are: (1) Design of Su...
The industrial revolution in England and Western Europe more than two centuries ago was triggered by some key scientific and technological advances.
[question] Question The industrial revolution in England and Western Europe more than two centuries ago was triggered by some key scientific and technological advances. What were these advances? [/question] [solution] Solution Some of the main developments in science and technology during this era include: (1) The use of heat and thermodynamics to form the steam engine. (2) Electricity discovery and implementation helped to create motors and dynamos. (3) Study of gravitation led to the study of ...
No physicist has ever “seen” an electron. Yet, all physicists believe in the existence of electrons.
[question] Question No physicist has ever “seen” an electron. Yet, all physicists believe in the existence of electrons. An intelligent but superstitious man advances this analogy to argue that ‘ghosts’ exist even though no one has ‘seen’ one. How will you refute his argument? [/question] [solution] Solution Although an electron was never ‘seen’ its impacts were observed and its practical evidence was tested and proven. For example, electricity. With respect to spirits and ghosts, though there a...
Though India now has a large base in science and technology, which is fast expanding,
[question] Question Though India now has a large base in science and technology, which is fast expanding, it is still a long way from realizing its potential of becoming a world leader in science. Name some important factors, which in your view have hindered the advancement of science in India. [/question] [solution] Solution Here are some significant factors that have hindered scientific development in India: lack of infrastructure and funding for high-quality scientific research work education...
“Politics is the art of the possible”. Similarly, “Science is the art of the soluble”. Explain this
[question] Question “Politics is the art of the possible”. Similarly, “Science is the art of the soluble”. Explain this beautiful aphorism on the nature and practice of science. [/question] [solution] Solution Politicians make everything possible to win votes. And science is a systematized study of observation. Researchers and scientist study these observations and then work out certain laws from them. In this universe, there are several natural phenomena taking place and all of them can be desc...
“Every great physical theory starts as a heresy and ends as a dogma”.
[question] Question “Every great physical theory starts as a heresy and ends as a dogma”. Give some examples from the history of science of the validity of this incisive remark [/question] [solution] Solution Solution: In our daily lives, a common observation is that light travels in a straight line. It was heresy when Huygens advocated his theory of waves. However, it quickly became a dogma that could be explained effectively on the grounds of wave theory as interference patterns, refraction, e...
Some of the most profound statements on the nature of science have come from Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time.
[question] Question Some of the most profound statements on the nature of science have come from Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists of all time. What do you think did Einstein mean when he said: "The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible"? [/question] [solution] Solution Naturally, the entire physical world is complicated. The biological world has its own complexities. Moreover, space, time and mass are involved in different orders of magnitudes. D...