Applied science

About: Applied science is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1178 publications have been published within this topic receiving 19920 citations. The topic is also known as: applied sciences.

Engineering Science as Opposed to Natural and Applied Science

Abstract: In exploring the epistemology of engineering science we propose a model of engineering. This model incorporates the goals of engineering, the approach to engineering (also called the engineering method) and the role of experience in engineering. The basis for understanding the nature of engineering science will be explored, and will be contrasted with natural science. To begin, a large-scale engineering project that was successfully completed in Ireland many years ago is discussed specifically, the development of a megalithic passage tomb as an exemplar of the engineering method in structural design, project management and aesthetics. This exemplar firmly demonstrates that engineering method existed before the development and understanding of the relevant natural science. We next contrast the nature of engineering or engineering science and natural science. This discussion will further develop the engineering model, but will contrast the philosophical differences between engineering and science. We then return to build upon the ‘engineering model’ through the modern day exemplar of the development of the jet engine, demonstrating that invariably multiple factors, including creative design initiatives from different sources, global, political, economic and cultural circumstance, and the passage of time contribute to the evolution and success (or failure) of large sustainable scientific and engineering projects. In conclusion, the engineering model is mapped to a philosophical model demonstrating that philosophy is as relevant to engineering as it is to other fields.

Theory and Exemplar: What Can Science Philosophers Tell Science Teachers about Science?.

Abstract: Ideas of modern philosophy are presented in the hope taht debate will continue concerning the issue of "theoretical versus descriptive chemistry: Should one or the other prevail?"

The Light Meter: A Powerful Tool in Physical Science

Abstract: science are challenging for students and teachers because they are difficult to understand and to demonstrate. Two such concepts that appear repeatedly in several contexts, across various disciplines, can become a unifying-concept approach to teaching physical science as stated in the National Science Education Standards (National Research Council 1996). The first is the concept of a ratio; the second is the concept of inverse-square variation. Arons (1983) identifies a lack of proficiency in reasoning involving ratios as posing a serious impediment to student progress in science. The concept of inverse-square dependence on the distance between objects is central to an understanding of forces, to the concept of the field, and to the propagation of electromagnetic radiation (including light). These areas comprise a large bulk of the material studied in physics, earth science, and astronomy, and their importance can be seen by their prominent appearance in the tasks of the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS). The new standards in science education clearly advocate teaching based on exploration, calling for student-centered activities, long-term projects, open-ended laboratory investigations, and a general “hands-on” approach to learning science. Because textbooks are less relied upon, teachers can benefit from techniques and activities that promote exploration while stressing content knowledge in the areas under exploration. An excellent resource for demonstrating difficult concepts is a light meter. Teachers can carry out long-term projects with inexpensive equipment, and they

The Humanities in Science and Engineering Education

Abstract: the modem university between 700 and 800 years ago, in Paris and Bologna, in Oxford and Cologne and Padua. The seven &dquo;liberal arts&dquo; (arithmetic, geometry, music, astronomy; grammar, rhetoric, dialectic) then defined a proper education. During the Renaissance, a group of scholars who called themselves &dquo;Humanists&dquo; distinguished between study to enter a profession, the study of nature (what we call science, including logic and mathematics), and the the study of human affairs, restricting the term &dquo;Humanities&dquo; to the latter alone.