Method of science:
We have seen above that science is an enaeavour to understand nature and to mould it to satisfy human needs. In earlier units we have seen that, in this process, we have collected a lot of information and a distinct body of scientific knowledge has grown. Let us now see how this knowledge has been acquired. Is there any special method of obtaining scientific knowledge? If so, how is it different from the way in which we ordinarily perceive the world around us? The answer to the fmt question is, yes. As you have read , there is a 'method' of science. You are also familiar with the terms observation, hypothesis, experiment, theories and laws,
All of us learn a lot about the world from our observations. Our everyday experiences arising from what we see, hear, touch, taste and smell, form a part of common knowledge. For example, we observe that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west; a ball when thrown up, comes down. A farmer usually separates the good seeds from the bad ones by putting all of them in water. This is based on the observation that the good seeds sink and the bad ones float. Similarly, you can know whether an egg is rotten or good by putting it in a bowl of water. A rotten egg will always float. To make such observations is, no doubt, very useful. Artists are also very keen observers of the world around us. Their creative art is an expression of these observations, transformed in the light of their own experiences and feelings. These, however, cannot be called scientific observations.