Solving Everyday Problems With the Scientific Method: Thinking Like a Scientist

✍ Scribed by Don K. Mak, Angela T. Mak, Anthony B. Mak

• Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 235
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book describes how one can use the scientific method to solve everyday problems including medical ailments, health issues, money management, traveling, shopping, cooking, household chores, etc. It illustrates how to exploit the information collected from our five senses, how to solve problems when no information is available for the present problem situation, how to increase our chances of success by redefining a problem, and how to extrapolate our capabilities by seeing a relationship among heretofore unrelated concepts.One should formulate a hypothesis as early as possible in order to have a sense of direction regarding which path to follow. Occasionally, by making wild conjectures, creative solutions can transpire. However, hypotheses need to be well-tested. Through this way, "The Scientific Method" can help readers solve problems in both familiar and unfamiliar situations. Containing real-life examples of how various problems are solved - for instance, how some observant patients cure their own illnesses when medical experts have failed - this book will train readers to observe what others may have missed and conceive what others may not have contemplated. With practice, they will be able to solve more problems than they could previously imagine.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 12
Preface......Page 10
1. Prelude......Page 16
2.1 Edwin Smith papyrus......Page 18
2.2 Greek philosophy (4th century BC)......Page 19
2.3 Islamic philosophy (8th century AD–15th century AD)......Page 21
2.4 European Science (12th century AD–16th century AD)......Page 22
2.5 Scientific Revolution (1543 AD–18th century AD)......Page 24
2.6 Humanism and Empiricism......Page 28
2.7 The Scientific Method......Page 30
2.8 Application of the Scientific Method to Everyday Problem......Page 31
3. Observation......Page 32
3.1.1 Missed information......Page 36
3.1.2 Misinformation......Page 37
3.1.3 Hidden information......Page 42
3.1.4 No information......Page 47
3.1.5 Unaware information......Page 50
3.2 Internal information......Page 52
3.2.1 Self-denied information......Page 53
3.2.2 Biased information......Page 54
3.2.3 Unexploited information......Page 55
3.2.4 Peripheral information......Page 57
4. Hypothesis......Page 60
4.1 Abduction......Page 70
4.2 Wild conjectures......Page 72
4.3 Albert Einstein (1879–1955)......Page 76
5. Experiment......Page 80
5.1 Experiment versus hypothesis......Page 94
5.2 Platonic, Aristotelian, Baconian, and Galilean methodology......Page 96
6. Recognition......Page 98
6.1 John Nash (1928– )......Page 107
7.1 Perspectives on different levels......Page 112
7.2 Perspectives on the same level......Page 113
8.1 Induction......Page 122
8.2 Deduction......Page 125
9. Alternative Solutions......Page 134
9.1 Lotion bottle with a pump dispenser......Page 152
10. Relation......Page 154
10.1 Creativity......Page 164
10.1.1 Ordinary thinking......Page 165
10.1.2.1 Knowledge......Page 166
10.1.2.2 Insight......Page 167
10.1.2.3 Unconscious mind......Page 168
10.1.3.1 Genetic material......Page 169
10.1.3.2 Watson and Crick at Cavendish Laboratory, Cambridge......Page 170
10.1.3.3 Rosalind Franklin at King’s College, London......Page 173
10.1.3.4 The triple helix model......Page 174
10.1.3.5 The double helix model......Page 176
10.1.4 Creative thinking and Ordinary thinking......Page 179
10.2 Scientific Research and Scientific Method......Page 180
10.3 Can we be more creative?......Page 181
11. Mathematics......Page 184
12. Probable Value......Page 210
13. Epilogue......Page 224
Bibliography......Page 228
Index......Page 234