The Scientific Method, A Cyclical And Self Correcting Process

935 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The theory of continental drift

Name: Amanda Kranning SCI101 Unit 4 Individual Project Instructor’s Name: Kristina Jantz Due Date: January Read the following passage: The scientific method is a cyclical and self-correcting process that involves several steps. Observations and collecting qualitative and quantitative evidence are important to make predictions and to develop a theory. Scientific breakthroughs do not happen overnight. Sometimes, the missing piece of the scientific puzzle takes years to discover. In 1915, Alfred Wegener proposed the theory of continental drift to explain the past and present location of the continents; however, his ideas were met with resistance because he could not provide evidence that would support his hypothesis. Later oceanographers, geologists, and scientists collected more information to verify and explain the theory. In the 1960s, the mechanism and processes were explained by plate tectonic theory. With advancements in science and technology, scientists are still collecting more information. Answer each of the following questions in your own words and in 3–5 sentences: 1. What is continental drift? The continental drift was a theory comprised from the scientist Alfred Wegener. His thoughts were that at one time the continents were of one space or an “Urkontinent” in his words. He theorized that the land had been drifting apart for centuries. 2. What was Alfred Wegener’s hypothesis for continental drift, and why was his idea not accepted? Wegener hypothesized that at one time all continents were joined together in a "supercontinent". The supercontinent eventually broke into the smaller continents, which then drifted towards their present positions. (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, n.d.) His fellow community based so... ... middle of paper ... ... Things, 2002) References CEC. (2013). SCI 101 [APPLYING SCIENTIFIC METHODS]. Retrieved from Colorado Technical University Virtual Campus, SCI101-1601A-07. Introduction to Sciences: https://campus.ctuonline.edu Fitcher, L., & Baedke, S. (2000, September 13). Plate Tectonic Theory: Plates and Interplate Relationships. Retrieved from http://csmres.jmu.edu/geollab/vageol/vahist/plates.html Science of Everyday Things. (2002). plate tectonics Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about plate tectonics. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/plate_tectonics.aspx University of Winnipeg. (1999, September 29). Plate boundaries. Retrieved from http://theory.uwinnipeg.ca/mod_tech/node193.html University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. (n.d.). CONTINENTAL DRIFT. Retrieved from http://www4.uwsp.edu/geo/faculty/ozsvath/lectures/Continental_Drift.htm

Show More
Related

  • The Accretions of Gander, Nashoba, and Avalon onto the Laurentian Margin Martha Parsons

    2211 Words  | 5 Pages

    Marshak, S. (2009) Essentials of Geology, 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, ch. 11, p. 298-320.

    Read More

  • Effects of The Pleistocene Epoch on Colorado

    3006 Words  | 7 Pages

    Plummer, C.C., McGeary, D., and Carlson, D.H., 2003, Physical geology (10th Ed.): McGraw-Hill, Boston, 580 p.

    Read More

  • Major Earthquakes are Inevitable in Indiana’s Future

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    Earthquakes are a natural part of the Earth’s evolution. Scientific evidence leads many geologists to believe that all of the land on Earth was at one point in time connected. Because of plate tectonic movements or earthquakes, continental drift occurred separating the one massive piece of land in to the seven major continents today. Further evidence supports this theory, starting with the Mid-Atlantic ridge, a large mass of plate tectonics, which are increasing the size of the Atlantic Ocean while shrinking the Pacific. Some scientists believe that the major plate moveme...

    Read More

  • Who is Charles Lyell?

    1039 Words  | 3 Pages

    Charles Lyell was a British lawyer and one the smartest geologist known in his time. He was known as the author of the Principles of Geology, which helped popularize the theories and concepts of uniformitarianism. The Principles of Geology was the first book written by Lyell and explained the changes of the earth’s surface. He used the research and information in the book as his proof to determine that the earth was over 6,000 years old. The central argument in his book was “the present is the key to the past”, this meant that to find out what happened in the past you had to look at what was happening now. It explained that changes which happened in the past, were happening in the present, and will happen in the future. Lyell’s book was later published into three volumes from 1830-1833. After the publication, it gave him credentials as an important geological theorist. His book later influenced a young Charles Darwin. Lyell’s influential book led Darwin to follow his principles and they later became friends. Darwin began to explore the changes that happen on the earth and develop his theories of evolution, though Charles did not completely endorse Darwin’s theory of evolution. Lyell was a devout Christian and Darwin’s theory of evolution did not line up with his Lyell’s beliefs with natural selection. Darwin continued his research and beliefs of his own and became a scientist working with his theories of evolution.

    Read More

  • Guns Germs And Steel Thesis

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example when he writes about how the axes of each continent affects how well ideas and domesticated crops and animals flow or spread through the continent. This discussion had made lots of sense for me and is yet another idea that supports his theory. "At the one extreme was its rapid spread along east-west axes: from Southwest Asia both west to Europe and Egypt and east to the Indus Valley (at an average rate of about 0.7 miles per year); At the opposite extreme was its slow spread along north-south axes: at less than 0.5 miles per year, from Mexico northward to the U.S. Southwest; at less than 0.3 miles per year, " This example shows how east to west axes allow for a faster diffusion of crops and animals. But the north to south is very slow compared to the other. This helps explain why Eurasia had developed the quickest and the America and Africa lagged behind." For example, Portugal, northern Iran, and Japan, all located at about the same latitude but lying successively 4,000 miles east or west of each other, are more similar to each other in climate than each is to a location lying even a mere 1,000 miles due south." This line tells us why Eurasia was able to develop so fast. That is because it has an east to west axes which means animals and crops can more wildly thought the same land due to there being large amounts of land with the same latitude. While the Americas

    Read More

  • Palaeogeography Essay

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Palaeogeography deals with the reconstruction of physical geographical conditions for the eras of the Earth's history. The term comes from the Greek παλαιός (palaiós) meaning ‘old’ and γεωγραφία (geōgraphía) meaning ‘a description of the earth’ and seems to have been introduced in the Earth sciences vocabulary as ‘Palaeo-Geographie’ by Ami Boué (1794‒1881), a French‒Austrian geologist, in his publication Einiges zur palaeo-geologischen Geographie (Boué, 1875, p. 2). Palaeogeography focuses on the distribution of land and sea, the spread of mountains and volcanoes and the expansion of glaciations, among others. The results are presented in geographic depictions called palaeogeographic maps. A special kind of palaeogeograpahical map is palaeobiogeographical maps depicting the distribution of

    Read More

  • The Idea of Latin America, by Walter Mignolo

    1021 Words  | 3 Pages

    Through all these changes America was able to emerge as their own. America now has been divided into many countries, but two continents (North and South America). The Americas have been divided culturally too (Anglo-Saxon America and Latin America). These formations of continents can be seen through the Christian cosmology. Then the “discovery” of America caused many things to change; such as the map and the transformation of the global economy. Finally the consequences of the West holding so much power created change in the rest of the world to occur.

    Read More

  • Darwinism Essay

    1297 Words  | 3 Pages

    Darwinism, the theory of evolution, is a controversial theory that is still being contemplated today. Before the 19th century scientist were puzzled by the idea of where humans, plants, and animals originated. In the late 1700s the question was first tried by a group of scientist, but they were not successful. It was not until a young Charles Darwin found interest in the subject that the discovery was finally able to become a theory. His observations led to his theory of evolution by natural selection. Although, it was a new discovery that shocked so many, Darwin and his accomplices did not realize how significant their newfound theory was. ~~~~

    Read More

  • Essay On North American Plate

    1327 Words  | 3 Pages

    Also, there is the multiple years it took for this and other plates to form.

    Read More

  • Thomas Kuhn Paradigm

    2780 Words  | 6 Pages

    Thomas Kuhn, one of the most widely recognized contributors to the discipline of the philosophy of science, raises the argument within The Structure of Scientific Revolutions that advancement within the field of science occurs in a revolutionary manner as opposed to one more progressive or cumulative. Kuhn makes the observation that scientific research is conducted cumulatively where every piece of evidence contributes towards gradually understanding a specific scientific phenomenon (Kuhn, 96). However, lasting scientific advancement only transpires when previously accepted scientific theories are overturned with entirely different, more suitable theories. Kuhn makes reference to the Copernican Heliocentric model as an instance to validate his assertion (Forster). Applying Kuhn’s argument to this revolutionary theory will provide clarity and further understanding necessary to demonstrate how this philosophical approach can be applicable towards relatively modern scientific theories such as plate tectonics.

    Read More

  • Coal Mining Pros And Cons

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    They are the earth’s crust; they move very slowly every year. As the tectonic plates slide over each other they cause earthquakes. Earthquakes produce various damaging effects this includes damage to structures of buildings, bridges and other standing formations which then...

    Read More

  • Plate Tectonics Essay

    1453 Words  | 3 Pages

    Convergent boundaries, divergent boundaries and convection currents all examples of physical evidence that supports the theory of plate tectonics. Continental drift is the theory contrived by Alfred Wegener in 1912 that states that Earth’s tectonic plates are in slow constant movement. At the time he didn’t know how the continents moved. The theory was soon modernized in the 50’s and the theory of plate tectonics became was born. Plate tectonics is the theory that tectonic plates are in slow constant movement due to convection currents in the mantle. Now we know for sure, thanks to scientific studies of convergent boundaries, divergent boundaries, and convection currents in the Earth’s mantle, that the continental drift and plate tectonics theories are not

    Read More

  • Scientific Revolution Essay

    709 Words  | 2 Pages

    As Europe began to move out of the Renaissance, it brought with it many of the beliefs of that era. The continent now carried a questioning spirit and was eager for more to study and learn. Throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, many discoveries were made in subjects all across the realm of science, but it was the doubting and testing of old traditions and authorities that truly made this time into a revolution. The Scientific Revolution challenged the authority of the past by changing the view of nature from a mysterious entity to a study of mathematics, looking to scientific research instead of the Church, and teaching that there was much knowledge of science left to be discovered.

    Read More

  • Earthquakes Hazards And Disaster

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Due to the fact that rocks are composed of high intensity of elastic and brittle material, they therefore store considerable amount of strain energy that results from elasticity, during the action of plate tectonic. The brittleness leads to development of concurrent cracks on the rocks as a result of plate’s action.

    Read More

  • Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution

    742 Words  | 2 Pages

    Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution took years and years of research. Throughout these years he found different people who were also interested in this phenomena and had them join him in the study. Before Charles conducted his research he looked back in time to other scientists who wrote about this theory. Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, believed there were natural laws in how the world came to be. “He believed that there were “higher” species and also “lower” species, and the lower ones gave rise to the higher” (Rosenberger 3). He believed against the usual myths about how the universe came to be and had similar ideas to Darwin. In 1831, Charles was asked by Capt. Robert Fitz-Roy to set sail on the H. M. S. Beagle, which sailed around the world. “Charles was to record information about the geology,...

    Read More

More about The Scientific Method, A Cyclical And Self Correcting Process

Open Document