Albion College
Fall 02021
Discussion
Questions for TD, Chapter 5
DL: Aishat
1. When I first learned about the Scientific Method in school,
the method seemed foolproof, teachers never talked about all
that can go wrong in an experiment. There was a point made
about peer-review and doing the experiment again, but
never really a lesson on experimental error. Do you relate to
this?
2. How would you think the world would be like if
Rutherford didn't conduct his experiment?
3. On page 85, the author says that believing in the invisible world of the atom requires "faith" in scientific reason. However, most scientists of "faith" are laughed out of the community. Where do we draw this line between "faith in science" and "silly faith?" How do we get our "faith" in science?
6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a
scientist who "follows their nose," as opposed to one who
"follows their mind"?
3. On page 85, the author says that believing in the invisible world of the atom requires "faith" in scientific reason. However, most scientists of "faith" are laughed out of the community. Where do we draw this line between "faith in science" and "silly faith?" How do we get our "faith" in science?
4. Why do you think the scientific community largely
ignored Rutherford?
5. How does Rutherford's writing style compare to
Mendeleev's?