Introduction
What is a good scientific question?
- It has to be clear and unambiguous
- It has to be based on facts
- It can be tested (not necessarily by existing techniques)
- The answer will expand our knowledge
Are the following questions good or bad scientific
questions:
- What keeps a satellite in its orbit around the Earth?
- Why do electrons not loose energy in their orbits around the nucleus?
- How many stars exactly are in the Milky Way?
- What is the temperatue of gas in other galaxies?
- What is the speed of light?
- Why is the influence of Jupiter on our well-being weaker than that of Mars?
What is a good scientific answer?
- It is based on established facts, assumptions, or models
- It needs to specify the errors and uncertainties
- It is unambiguous and clear
- It can be openly discussed and justified
Are the following anwers good or bad scientific
answers:
- The globular clusters in the Milky Way consist of old stars
- All globular clusters consist of old stars
- 27% of all stars have close stellar companions
- The expansion of the Universe is 65 km/s/Mpc
How can a good scientific answer be found?
- Through experiments (astronomy: telescopes)
- Through analytical model and calculations, and numerical
simulations
- Through literature studies (overlooked facts, combination
of details, new techniques)
A good researcher...:
- welcomes (productive) criticism from colleagues
- considers and discusses alternative explanations
- knows which questions are most important/interesting
- knows which of these questions can be best addressed and
how
- knows about the sociological aspects of research (personality,
publication rate/quality, ...)