physics vocab chapter 1

phenomenon

anything that the mind can perceive, whether real or imaginary; anything perceptible by the senses or by scientific instruments

continuum

an unbroken sequence or expanse

dimensions

the measuring unit of each quantity

uniformitarianism

the belief that the present is the key to the past, especially regarding geology

dominion science

the practical science done to advance our knowledge of life, the earth, and the universe

operational science

provides workable and operational explanations of how the world functions; what empirical science is also called

empirical science

the most common type of science; depends on present-day observations or experiments

historical science

not empirical science; its conclusions are more speculative and should be held with less confidence than those drawn from empirical science

mechanics

the study of how and why motion occurs

electromagnetism

study of electricity and magnetism

normal science

research based on symbolic generalizations, beliefs in particular models, values, and representative of examples or exemplars

thermodynamics

the study of thermal energy's relationship with and it's conversion into other forms of energy

Christian worldview

assumes that God created the world for his glory, the world is fallen, and God is redeeming the world to himself

positivism

the humanistic philosophy that came out of the European Enlightenment period; man is the measure of all things and human reason, informed by science, is the only reliable path to truth

paradigm

accepted examples of actual scientific practice— examples include law, theory, application, and instrumentation together— provide models from which spring particular coherent traditions of scientific research

scientific revolutions

paradigm shifts