be so; (b) The validity of every scientific statement can 

 be proved by the student himself by the performance of 

 the appropriate experiment: full details on how to do the 

 experiment are given by the original scientist who devised 

 it; (c) The actual performance of a considerable number 

 of experiments by the student, all of which give the ex- 

 pected conclusions, then enables the student to appreciate 

 that he can reasonably accept as correct the results of 

 other experiments which he has not done for himself; (d) 

 To make a scientific discovery one can start either from 

 an observation of a natural event or fact which is unex- 

 plained, or one can devise a question about Nature one- 

 self; (e) One next invents an hypothesis to explain the 

 observation, and one sets up and performs an experimental 

 test of this hypothesis or of the question devised; (f) The 

 result of the experiment provides the answer to one's ques- 

 tion, or proves or disproves one's hypothesis; (g) In ad- 

 vancing scientific knowledge it is important to be aware 

 of all previous work in the particular field which one is 

 investigating, and in publishing one's researches full refer- 

 ence to all authorities quoted must be given. 



In essence, science teaches that to obtain reliable 

 new knowledge one must be critical, able to experiment 

 carefully (in general), able to generalize from one's knowl- 

 edge, observant, curious, willing to accept experimental 

 proof as final, and well read. The scientific method of 

 dealing with problems is employed by all scientists, in 

 whatever field they are working. The particular science, 

 and the branch or branches of that science, in which each 

 scientist does his research, is usually decided by the indi- 

 vidual according to his early interests and his natural abili- 

 ties for special work. The scientist, if fully accepting the 

 principles of scientific method, is unwilling to reach defi- 



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