Scientific Work, Big Bang, and Solar System Formation

Posted on Mar 15, 2025 in Social sciences

The Scientific Method: A Detailed Look

The Approach to Questions: Understanding how scientists approach questions about reality is crucial. Sometimes, focusing solely on the ‘why’ can lead to dead ends. However, if phenomena occur, scientists can obtain useful, albeit modest, answers.

Key Steps in Scientific Work

The Formulation of Hypotheses: Scientific inquiry begins with a hypothesis about natural phenomena. This explanation is based on observations from those who have studied the phenomenon. Formulating a hypothesis is a critical moment in building scientific knowledge.

The Testing of Hypotheses: To have scientific validity, a hypothesis must be proven. Experiments can be conducted to test hypotheses and the deductions derived from them. This procedure leads to the formulation of theories.

Formulation of Hypotheses or Theories: The general laws of nature are typically formulated as grand theories.

Important Considerations in Science

  • Not All Ideas Can Be Based on Observation: Observations are interpreted by the brain. This explains why many ideas, now clear, were once rejected as impossible.
  • Observations Alone Do Not Lead to Hypothesis Elaboration: Inductivism, the idea that arguments can be solely based on induction, has been shown to be flawed.
  • Theories Are Not Built by Accumulating Hypotheses: Science is not a linear process of continuous growth. The history of science shows great revolutions occur, changing or discarding numerous areas of expertise.
  • Existing Knowledge Should Not Be Taken Without Scrutiny: Critical thinking is essential to understanding what happens. Any hypothesis must be verifiable repeatedly.
Truth and Certainty in Science

The philosophy of science tries to understand how scientific knowledge is constructed and whether it aligns with reality. Key points include:

  • There is no definitive knowledge.
  • The best way to have certainty in science is to try to disprove any hypothesis.
  • If the falsity of a hypothesis is proven, it is discarded, and an alternative is likely sought.
  • Any hypothesis must be “falsifiable,” meaning it must offer the possibility of being refuted.

The Big Bang Theory

Among theories that attempt to answer how the universe was formed, the Big Bang theory is the most widely accepted. Proposed by Lemaître in 1927, it suggests the universe was created as follows:

  1. Matter and energy were initially concentrated in a single point, called the primeval atom.
  2. The atom expanded sharply in a huge explosion, initiating the universe’s expansion. Energy dispersed in all directions. As matter formed, space and time originated.
  3. Subatomic particles, and later, the simplest atoms, were generated.
  4. As the universe expanded, its temperature dropped. Matter condensed, forming galaxies, stars, and planets.

Origin of the Solar System

The origin of the solar system must explain these facts:

  • The Sun and planets revolve in the same direction.
  • Planets travel in nearly circular orbits.
  • The rotary motion of the planets is in the same direction as their translation.
  • Planets near the Sun are small and dense, while those farther away are large and less dense.
  • All planetary bodies show evidence of significant impacts.

Planetesimal Theory

Conceived by Weizsäcker and Kuiper, the Planetesimal Theory proposes that the solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago from a nebula of gas and dust in the Milky Way. The process unfolded as follows:

  1. Millions of years ago, material in the nebula began to move and interact.
  2. Most of the nebula’s material coalesced at its core, reaching sufficient temperatures to form the Sun.
  3. Intense solar emissions blew much of the remaining material into space. The rest swirled around the young star, forming a flattened disk.
  4. In this disk, denser materials were positioned closer to the center. Planetesimals formed and arranged themselves around the Sun.
  5. Planets formed near the Sun were made of denser material, while those that condensed farther away were composed of lighter materials.
  6. The planets cooled, and an atmosphere was created from the released gases.