Thursday, July 29, 2010

Importance of studying the history of Science.

Studying the history of Science is very essential especially as a Science Major. For me it is very important because:
  • It gives credit or tribute to those people who contributed in different fields of Science.
  • It tells where, when, and how a particular scientific body of knowledge began or started.
  • It shows the development of Science through time.
  • Let the students know the origin of a specific body of knowledge including technology.
  • Let the students differentiate Science and technology before and the modern Sciencehence distinguishing the innovations.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Urban Revolution

Urban Revolution (3000 BC-500BC) is the process by which small, kin-based, nonliterate agricultural villages were transformed into large, socially complex, urban societies;invention of the city.

The term "urban revolution" was introduced in the 1930s by V. Gordon Childe, an Australian archaeologist. Childe also coined the term Neolithic Revolution to describe the earlier process by which Hunter-Gatherer Societies domesticated crops and animals and began a farming lifestyle. Childe was the first to synthesize and organize the large volume of new archaeological data in the early 20th century in social terms. Whereas previous archaeologists had concentrated on chronology and technology, Childe applied concepts and theories from the social sciences to interpret archaeological finds. Childe first discussed the Urban Revolution in his 1936 book, Man Make Himself, and then his 1950 article in the journal Town Planning Review brought the concept to a much larger audience. In that paper he presented a 10-point model for the changes that characterized the Urban Revolution:
  1. Large population and large settlements (cities)
  2. Full-time specialization and advanced division of labor
  3. Production of an agricultural surplus to fund government and a differentiated society
  4. Monumental public architecture
  5. A ruling class
  6. Writing
  7. Exact and predictive sciences (arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, calendars)
  8. Sophisticated art styles
  9. Long-distance trade
  10. The state.
Although sometimes interpreted as a model of the origins of cities and urbanism, Childe’s concept in fact describes the transition from agricultural villages to state-level, urban societies. This change, which occurred independently in several parts of the world, is recognized as one of the most significant changes in human Sociocultural evolution. Although contemporary models for the origins of complex urban societies have progressed beyond Childe’s original formulation, there is general agreement that he correctly identified one of the most far-reaching social transformations prior to the Industrial Revolution, as well as the major processes involved in the change.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Accidental Discoveries Quiz

1. Alexander Fleming was a Scottish bacteriologist who was known for his discovery of penicillin. He made this amazing discovery in 1928 by luck. He noticed that the colony of staphylococcus that was accidentally contaminated with a type of fungus known as Penicillium notatum was destroyed. What exactly was this staphylococcus?

A type of bacteria

A type of protozoa

A type of virus

A type of algae

2. Charles Goodyear was famous for his vulcanization process that he discovered accidentally in 1839. He was surprised to find that when rubber was mixed with a special element in powder form, the rubber produced had better properties than the common rubber, namely more elastic and durable. What was this special element?

Phosphorus

Chlorine

Nitrogen

Sulfur

3. Bernard Courtois was a French chemist who was best remembered for his discovery of one of the halogens. He made his fortuitous discovery when he accidentally added in too much sulfuric acid to a mixture to treat the unwanted sulfur residue. As a result, he noticed that a violet vapor was produced, which when left to cool at room temperature, a solid metal of violet-gray color was observed. Which element had he discovered?

Iodine

Astatine

Bromine

Fluorine

4. Henri Victor Regnault was a French thermodynamicist who was noted for the discovery of PVC. The incident took place in 1835 when he accidentally left a flask of colorless solution under sunlight. He returned several hours later, only to find that there was white solid formed in the flask. The solid was none other than the ever-useful PVC. What does PVC stand for?

Polyvinyl chromate

Polyvinyl chloride

Polyvanadium chloride

Polyvanadium chromate

5. Louis Daguerre was a celebrated chemist who was synonymous with his photography works. He brought along his camera obscura to capture different scenarios to help him in his paintings. However, the latent image produced from the chemical reaction between argentum and iodine was not practical – the photos took a long time to be developed. It was not until some liquid from a broken thermometer in his closet spilled on one of his photographs that he discovered a faster way to develop the photos. What was the liquid?

Alcohol

Hydrogen peroxide

Aqua regia

Mercury

6. Wilhelm Roentgen was a German physicist who was also the first recipient of the prestigious Nobel Prize for Physics in 1901. He was awarded the prize for his discovery of a type of rays in the electromagnetic spectrum by accident. If the cardboard he used in his experiment was not painted with barium platinocyanide, he would not have discovered these rays. What rays did he discover?

X-rays

Gamma rays

Infrared (IR) rays

Ultraviolet (UV) rays

7. Henri Becquerel was a renowned chemist who had contributed greatly in the field of radioactivity. In 1896, he was performing some experiments on some phosphorescent substances. It happened that one of the phosphorescent crystals that he used contained a small amount of a radioactive element that led him to the discovery of radioactivity. What was the element?

Uranium

Potassium

Helium

Scandium

8. Sydney Ringer was a British pharmacologist who was most often associated with his Ringer’s solution that was used primarily for intravenous (IV) administration purpose. He found that when a pure sodium chloride solution was mixed with two other elements in aqueous form, the solution produced would prolong the heartbeat of a dead frog’s heart. These two elements were located next to each other on the periodic table of chemical elements. What were the two elements?

Hydrogen and helium

Fluorine and neon

Boron and carbon

Potassium and calcium

9. Albert Hoffmann was a Swiss chemist who was credited for the discovery and synthesis of LSD. He discovered the magical effect and property of this LSD drug when the chemical substance accidentally entered his body through his fingertips. After a night of hallucination, he was sure that something from his laboratory was responsible for the effect. It was not long before he found the culprit – the newly synthesized LSD. What does LSD stand for?

Lysergic alkali diethylamide

Lysergic acid diethylamide

Lysine acid diethylamide

Lysine alkali diethylamide

10. Edward Jenner was undeniably one of the greatest scientists of all time. His discovery of the smallpox vaccine earned him the title of the Father of Immunology. From his observation, he found that a person who contracted a kind of disease would never contract smallpox. He proved his hypothesis by performing an experiment on a farm boy. What was the disease?

Cowpox

Sickle cell anemia

Meningitis

Arthritis

Roman Science Quiz

1. The Tepula, Marcia, Alsietina and Anto Novus are names for which important construct of the Roman age?

Colosseums

Guardwalls

Arches

Aqueducts
2.
The Romans used the abacus for counting purposes. What were the beads running along
the wires of an abacus called?

Ferculi

Additae

Computae

Calculi
True or false: The Romans employed the zero in their system of numbers.

True

False
4. True or false: The Romans used 'cranes' for building purposes.

True

False
5. The early calendar of the Romans was a lunar calendar that contained 304 days. Which
month was the first on this less than accurate early calendar?

Januarius

Februarius

Junius

Martius



Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Everything was Invented in China!


1. True or false: The abacus was invented in China.
    True
    False


2. One man is traditionally credited with the invention of paper in China in 105 A.D., who was this fellow?
    Mo Yan
    Cai Lun
    Long Fa
    Fu Xi


3. Some people believe that iron working first developed in China, but this is not so. In fact, iron working first occurred in which area?
    Greece
    Meso-America
    Middle East
    Southeast Asia


4. A crude version of which of these devices was in use in China in the 2nd century A.D.?
    Chromatograph
    Printer
    Seismograph
    Vacuum cleaner


5. Traditionally in the West, Roger Bacon was credited with the invention of gunpowder, a mixture of potassium or sodium nitrate, sulfur and charcoal. However, it is now known that the Chinese developed and used gunpowder at a much earlier date than the Europeans, and that the prescription for gunpowder was probably transferred from the Chinese to the Europeans via ancient trade routes. During which Chinese dynasty was the formula for gunpowder first recorded?
    Ming
    Wu
    Han
    Song


6. True or false: Paper money was first developed in China.
    True
    False


7. True or false: We know for certain that the Chinese were the first to use the potter's wheel.
    True
    False


8. Which of these implements of war was first created by the Chinese in the 5th or 6th century B.C.?
    Chariot
    Stirrups
    Compound bow
    Crossbow


9. Which device was first created in China using lodestone?
    Answer: (One Word)


10. Which of the following items was not invented or first developed in China?

People and Theories Quiz

What is Kepler's Conjecture?

There is an ultimate way to pack spheres into a box

There is no ultimate way to pack spheres into a box

There is an ultimate way of packing boxes into a sphere

When was Sir Isaac Newton born?

Christmas Day, 1642

4 January, 1643

Both - because of a correction in the Gregorian calendar

When was Newton's 'Naturalis Principa Matematica' (or Principia as it is often called) published?

1543

1687

1701

What was Pierre de Fermat's profession?

Mathematician

Lawyer

Doctor

Where did Albert Einstein famously do much of his great work?

In the Swiss Patent Office

In his home

In an office on the College ground

Was Aristotle a student under Plato?

No, he was a student at Plato's Academy

No, Plato was a student of Aristotle

Yes

Who invented the telescope?

Galileo Galilei

Dutch spectacle makers

Chinese glass makers

Does the Talmud (created during the last 5 centuries BC) include the concept of game theory?

Yes

No

No, but it did in a later, revised edition

A way to calculate the probability for intelligent life in the Cosmos

It shows the relationship between time and distance in the Cosmos

A method to measure the doppler effect

What is Kepler's second law?

Planets travel in constant velocity in their orbits

Planets travel faster when closer to the sun

Planets travel slower when closer to the sun

History of Science Quiz

Who was the first scientist to propose that everything is built up from atoms?

Leucippus of Miletus

Democritus of Abdera

Isaac Newton

Is Euclid's collection of geometric proofs known as the 'Elements', published around 300 BC, still in use?

Yes

No

Yes, but only as a publication of historical interest

Who compiled the first comprehensive star chart in 134 BC?

Titus Lucretius Carus

Hipparchus of Rhodes

Sosigenes of Alexandria

Who was the originator of the word 'algebra'?

Aristotle

Muhammed ibn Musa al-Kwarizmi

Immanuel Kant

Isaac Newton

What did Johann Gutenberg invent around 1437?

a printing technique with moveable type

a basic typewriter

a way to reproduce printed text by photocopy

Who made the first telescope in 1590 by combining double convex lenses?

Galileo Galilei

Leonardo Da Vinci

Zacharias and Hans Janssen

What do we call the moons orbiting the planet Jupiter which Galileo Galileo discovered in 1609?

The Jovian Moons

The Galilean Moons

They do not have a group name

Who observed, in 1620, that the maps of Africa and South America seemed to fit together (hinting at tectonics)?

Francis Bacon

Galileo Galilei

Christopher Columbus

Was Blaise Pascal's five-digit adding machine the first calculator?

Yes

No, a six-digit calcuator, driven by gears, had been constructed as early as 1623

He did not build an adding machine

Who was tried and sentenced to house arrest by the Inquisition in 1632 for his belief that the Earth orbited the Sun?

Galileo Galilei

Giordano Bruno

Leonardo Da Vinci

What did Evangelista Torricelly devise in 1644 to measure atmospheric pressure?

a mercury barometer

an air freshener

a thermometer

Who discovered Saturn's moon Titan, and when?

Hipparchus of Rhodes in 134 BC

Galileo Galilei in 1651

Christiaan Huygens in 1655

How was phosphorus discovered around 1674?

by distilling human urine

by taking samples from a live volcano

by subtracting salt from ocean water

How did Ole Roemer discover that light travels at a finite speed in 1676?

By measuring the time it took for a light signal to travel from Paris to Copenhagen

By observing the eclipse of Jupiter's moon Io

By calculating differences in the orbits of Mars and Earth

What was special about the chronometer which John Harrison tested at sea in 1736?

it was the first accurate clock which ran on salt-water batteries

it was the first chronometer to cross the Pacific ocean

it was the first accurate chronometer for determining longitude

What was the 'leyden jar' which was invented in 1746?

a form of capacitator which produces electric sparks

the first tin can for conservation of foods

a small flask for storing blood samples

Who published the first classification system for plants and animals in 1758?

Charles Darwin

Carl Linné

Francis Bacon


Science Quotes Quiz

Who said: Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.

Albert Einstein

Pope John Paul II

Richard Feynman

Who said: Science is a wonderful thing if one does not have to earn one's living at it.

Tyco Brahe

Albert Einstein

Celia Paige

Who said: Science is what you know. Philosophy is what you don't know.

Bertrand Russell

Simone de Beauvoir

Jean-Paul Sartre

Who said: It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals; let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians.

André Brink

Margareth Atwood

Henrik Ibsen

Who said: Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.

Bill Bryson

Helen Keller

Immanuel Kant

Who said: If I have seen farther than other men, it is because I stood on the shoulders of giants.

Isaac Newton

Albert Einstein

Francis Bacon

Who said: Science is organized knowledge.

Mark Twain

Herbert Spencer

Ronald Reagan

Who said: It is a capital mistake to theorise before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories instead of theories to suit facts.

Sherlock Holmes

Hercule Poirot

Miss Marple

Who said: There are in fact two things, science and opinion; the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance.

Plato

Aristotle

Hippocrates

Who said: There ain't no rules around here! We're trying to accomplish something!

Henry Ford

Thomas Alva Edison

Mahatma Gandhi

Who said: Chance favors the prepared mind.

Louis Pasteur

Neil Armstrong

Henry Ford

Who said: Science is the record of dead religions.

William Shakespeare

Oscar Wilde

Ben Johnson

Who said: Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work.

Leonardo da Vindi

Clive Sinclair

Thomas Alva Edison

Who said: An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field.

Niels Bohr

James Watson

Benjamin Franklin

Who said: Water is H2O, hydrogen two parts, oxygen one, but there is also a third thing, that makes it water and nobody knows what that is.

Arthur Eddington

D. H. Lawrence

Uri Geller

Who said: You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother.

Albert Einstein

Marie Curie

Stephen Hawking

Who said: Nothing shocks me. I'm a scientist.

Michael Faraday

Indiana Jones

John Nash

Who said: Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Jesse Jackson

Malcolm X

Who said: When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.

Virginia Woolf

James Watt

Alexander Graham Bell

Who said: Mistakes are the portals of discovery.

James Joyce

William Butler Yeats

Flannery O'Connor