I have noticed an occasional confusion over the phrase ‘fair test’ and I am even ashamed to say that I have allowed it to appear in one of my booklets in an incorrect context. It is an important phrase so I would like to offer a brief explanation. In an experiment, it is important only …
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How Science Works #1…
In science, a hypothesis is a speculation that might explain a particular observation. This can then be tested to try and show that it is wrong. If it cannot be demonstrated to be wrong, if it explains the observed facts and if it allows accurate predictions to be made then it may be promoted to …
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Trophic levels…
I mentioned previously that plants are the first step in nearly all food chains. A food chain or food web describes the flow of energy between the organisms in a habitat. Each step in the food chain represents a different ‘trophic level’ (trophic is a word that refers to nutrition). The first level contains the …
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Equivocation…
A fallacy of ambiguity. 1. Having science lessons with HCTR is better than nothing. 2. Nothing is better than World Peace. 3. Therefore having science lessons with HCTR is better than World Peace! Equivocation is an error (or more commonly a trick) of reasoning in which the same word is used to mean two different things within the …
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Logical Fallacies…
As a follow-up to a General Lesson I had with 8D, here is a little stuff about Logical Fallacies. This post will attempt to explain the concept (as I understand it) and later ones will focus on different specific types of fallacy. Hopefully, I will be able to include some good real-world examples with video …
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Inherited Characteristics…
The Internet is mostly kittens but I think that this is my first picture of any. If you just want cute there is always the numbat. I chose this picture because these kittens all share the same parents, and although very similar in many ways, they also show variation. The variation you see between different …
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More Genetics…
Two more of those excellent genetics videos from 23&Me who offer to check your DNA and tell you a little about your ancestry. This is a follow up to this post from a couple of days ago. Good stuff I think. . . Questions… How many pairs of chromosomes does a human have? What is …
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Happy Birthday Darwin…
Often, films, books or sporting events do not live up to their hype. When you finally get a chance to see them you feel disappointed and the excitement quickly fades. 150 years ago today, a book was published that is still as relevant and important today as it was on 24th November 1859. Charles Darwin …
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The James Webb Space Telescope
by Syed You may have seen the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launch on Christmas Day 2021. It was the joint effort of NASA, the ESA (European Space Agency) and the CSA (Canadian Space Agency). It has cost $10 billion, taken over 25 years, and suffered severe delays due to budget overruns, the covid pandemic, …
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Let’s Go To Mars…
As I was working out how easy it would be to control a remote vehicle on Mars, I came across this video about how long it would take to travel to Mars. I think the young girl who said half a year should get some credit – youngest person asked but by far the closest …
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