This opening chapter of the new book explains what it means to study science at the secondary stage — not just learning facts, but understanding how we come to know them. It introduces the idea of a model: a deliberately simplified way of looking at a real system that keeps only what matters for a given question (for example, treating a moving car as a single point, or ignoring air resistance when first studying a falling object). It stresses that science uses a precise, shared language of defined terms, symbols and units — quantities such as mass, velocity, force and current are written as m, v, F and I — and that standard (SI) units let results be compared and avoid costly errors. The chapter distinguishes a law (a regular observed pattern, like Newton’s laws), a theory (an evidence-based explanation of why patterns occur, like atomic theory) and a principle (a broad idea, like conservation of energy), clarifying that a scientific theory is not a guess. It highlights prediction and estimation as core skills and reminds us that the branches of science are human divisions of one connected world, and that science is a human activity driven by curiosity.
Science as a way of knowingBuilding and using modelsScientific language, symbols and SI unitsLaws, theories and principlesPrediction and estimation
Key terms
Model
A simplified representation of a real system that keeps only what matters for a question.
SI units
The agreed international standard units that let measurements be compared everywhere.
Scientific law
A statement of a regular pattern observed in nature, e.g. Newton’s laws of motion.
Scientific theory
An evidence-based explanation of why patterns occur (not a guess), e.g. atomic theory.
Principle
A broad idea applied across situations, e.g. conservation of energy.
Estimation
Making a rough but reasonable approximate value to check whether an answer makes sense.
Extra questions & answers
Activity 1.1: Let us model
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What is a "model" in science?
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