“Where they went wrong” assignment
Science has at times really gone off on the wrong track. In this assignment you will look at one of these occurrences and try to analyze what went wrong. You may think of another possible “wrong” than the list below.
Some wrong theories resulted from several errors.
List of possible “wrongs”
Ignoring data that contradicts a theory.
Many variables in the observable that makes it difficult to vary just one or a few at a time.
The variables may not be independent.
Equipment that is not sensitive or reproducible enough. This is essentially the observation step of the Scientific Method that has errors.
Math mistakes. Yep sometimes physicists make these too. Not often though.
Incorrect assumptions.
Not actually doing an experiment vis a vis the Scientific Method. This sometimes happens when the accepted theory seems so obviously true.
Not reproducing an experiment vis a vis the Scientific Method. This can happen when the experiments are long and drawn out.
Equipment simply not being available to test the hypothesis.
Confusing correlation with causation.
You may also think of your own “where they went wrong” topic.
