OR#7

Science and Engineering Practices
Student’s Name
Institution
Science and Engineering Practices
The eight basic science and engineering practices provide a primary platform for scientists’ engagement behaviors as they investigate, explore and construct theories, models, and systems about the natural world. Asking questions and solving defining problems is the first practice. Secondly, it is followed by the practice of developing using models, in this case, models are built as tools for representing fundamental ideas. Thirdly, scientists plan and carry out investigations; this is done in the laboratory working as a group or individually. The fourth practice involves analyzing and interpretation of data. In this step, scientists present data that ought to be analyzed to have a positive meaning in the natural world. The fifth basic practice by the scientist involves the application of mathematics and computer activities to represent physical variables and their respective relationships. After that, it gets to the sixth practice whereby scientists construct explanations and design solutions. The seventh practice involves engagement of the scientists in an argument from the evidence that is collected, analyzed and investigated. Finally, the scientists perform the process of obtaining, evaluation and communication of information in a professional manner.
All through my education life, I have always thought that in science, an experiment is the only sure way of acquiring scientific knowledge.

However, this thought has been a myth given that besides experiments being one of the major methods of gaining scientific knowledge, it is not the only way of acquiring such knowledge. Also, I always believed that when scientific methods are applied appropriately, they can be used to answer all questions pertaining the nature and all the elements in it. However, moral and ethical issues cannot be subjected to scientific methods to provide an answer to these issues even though they lay a significant role in the human life on earth (McComas, 1996).
References
McComas, W. F. (1996). Ten myths of science: Reexamining what we think we know about the nature of science. School Science and Mathematics, 96(1), 10-16.