6 Our Surroundings 



more rapidly with the invention of printing. Today, we of the 

 present profit by the discoveries of the past. We use this knowl- 

 edge, build upon it and add to it by means of new discoveries. All 

 these facts that man has learned about Nature when sorted and 

 grouped are called Science. Science is the classified knowledge 

 of the facts concerning Nature. 



Man has always been most interested in his environment, that 

 is, in the every-day things which surround him. Science helps 

 us to understand this environment and, as a result, to live in 

 it much more comfortably. Because of Science, Nature is no 

 longer looked upon as the enemy of man, but as his friend and 

 helper. 



The scientific knowledge of the world and its relation to man 

 is so vast today, and so many are the fields in which further study 

 can be carried on, that no one person can hope to master more 

 than a small portion of it. For convenience of study and in- 

 vestigation, therefore, Science has been divided into a number 

 of branches. There is Chemistry, which tells us of the mate- 

 rials of which things are made, and of what happens when sub- 

 stances are combined or broken up to form entirely different 

 substances. There is Physics, which tells us of certain forms of 

 energy, such as motion, heat, light, sound and electricity, and of 

 how they work. There is Astronomy, which tells us of the stars 

 and planets, and of the relation of our earth to them. There is 

 Zoology, the study of animals ; Botany, the study of plants ; and 

 Physiology, the study of our bodies. There is Physical Geography, 

 which tells us of the earth's surface and its changes, and Geology, 

 which tells us of its structure and history. General Science takes 

 from each special branch of Science what we need to know in 

 order to understand and to use for our good the common things 

 of our surroundings. 



Scientific Method. Few important scientific truths have 

 been stumbled upon by accident. As a rule, scientists work by a 

 definite plan called the scientific method. When they want, for 

 example, an explanation of something they have seen, they first 

 make many observations and experiments. They study the results 

 of these observations and experiments very carefully, trying to 



