STS 201 - Exam & Final Questions and
Answers
Thomas Kuhn - Answer-Defined normal science, established paradigms, wrote The Structure of
Scientific Revolutions
Nicholas Copernicus - Answer-He believed in a heliocentric, or sun-centered, conception of the
universe. He argued that the Sun was at the center of the universe. The planets revolved around the
sun.
Galileo's Telescope - Answer-built in 1610
Observed the features of the moon, the moons of Jupiter and sun spots
A challenge to heavenly perfection
The Starry Messenger (1610)
Stellar Parallax - Answer-the apparent shift in the position of a nearby star (relative to distant objects)
that occurs as we view the star from different positions in Earth's orbit of the Sun each year
Ptolemaic model - Answer-Geocentric solar system model, developed by the second century
astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. It predicted with great accuracy the positions of the then known planets.
,Geocentrism vs. Heliocentrism - Answer-In the geocentric conception, the universe was a series of
conecentric spheres with a fixed or motionless earth at its center. Composed of earth, air, fire, and
water, the earth was imperfect and constantly changing. Heliocentrism stated that the sun was the
center of the universe. It was argued by Copernicus.
Normal Science (Kuhn) - Answer-science conducted within an existing paradigm
Paradigm Shift - Answer-a major change in basic assumptions of a particular scientific discipline
Anomalies - Answer-something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected
Mertonian Norms - Answer-communalism, universalism, disinterestedness, organized skepticism
Gestalt Switch - Answer-a sudden change in the way information is organized
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck - Answer-This man developed the first cohesive theory of evolution after his
studies of biology
Robert Boyle - Answer-Father of modern chemistry
Boyle's Air Pump - Answer-Boyle's air pump, or vacuum chamber, created a space for experimentation
on air, and it became the expensive centerpiece of a new scientific organization, the Royal Society of
London.
Epigenetics - Answer-the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a
DNA change
, material technologies - Answer-Materials technology is a relatively comprehensive discipline that begins
with the production of goods from raw materials to processing of materials into the shapes and forms
needed for specific applications.
literary technologies - virtual witnessing - Answer-This consisted of Boyle providing pictorial
representations of his experiments via engravements and line drawings. These pictures, replications,
and witnesses allowed viewers to get a more complete context of how scientific discoveries were made.
Social Technologies - Answer-We mean something analogous to the idea of social engineering, a
concept that came about at the end of the 19th century that refers to the intentional design of specific
social arrangements and ways of operating.
John Tyndall - Answer-showed evidence that some microbes have very high heat resistance and are
difficult to destroy
Isaac Newton's Alchemy - Answer-medieval chemical philosophy based on changing metal into gold; a
seemingly magical power or process of transmutation
Arthur Worthington - Answer-Arthur Mason Worthington CB FRS was an English physicist and educator.
He is best known for his work on fluid mechanics, especially the physics of splashes; for observing those,
he pioneered techniques of high speed photography.
Feminist Science Studies - Answer-Feminist science studies (FSS) is a field of study that is
interdisciplinary. It draws upon the philosophy, historiography and sociology of science.1 It also has to
necessarily draw upon the practice of science itself. While social scientists might gain insights into the
practice and culture of science through their research, the insider story is best told through the
narratives and accounts of practitioners of science.
boundary work - Answer-work done to maintain the border between legitimate and non legitimate
science within a specific scientific discipline or between legitimate disciplines
Answers
Thomas Kuhn - Answer-Defined normal science, established paradigms, wrote The Structure of
Scientific Revolutions
Nicholas Copernicus - Answer-He believed in a heliocentric, or sun-centered, conception of the
universe. He argued that the Sun was at the center of the universe. The planets revolved around the
sun.
Galileo's Telescope - Answer-built in 1610
Observed the features of the moon, the moons of Jupiter and sun spots
A challenge to heavenly perfection
The Starry Messenger (1610)
Stellar Parallax - Answer-the apparent shift in the position of a nearby star (relative to distant objects)
that occurs as we view the star from different positions in Earth's orbit of the Sun each year
Ptolemaic model - Answer-Geocentric solar system model, developed by the second century
astronomer Claudius Ptolemy. It predicted with great accuracy the positions of the then known planets.
,Geocentrism vs. Heliocentrism - Answer-In the geocentric conception, the universe was a series of
conecentric spheres with a fixed or motionless earth at its center. Composed of earth, air, fire, and
water, the earth was imperfect and constantly changing. Heliocentrism stated that the sun was the
center of the universe. It was argued by Copernicus.
Normal Science (Kuhn) - Answer-science conducted within an existing paradigm
Paradigm Shift - Answer-a major change in basic assumptions of a particular scientific discipline
Anomalies - Answer-something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected
Mertonian Norms - Answer-communalism, universalism, disinterestedness, organized skepticism
Gestalt Switch - Answer-a sudden change in the way information is organized
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck - Answer-This man developed the first cohesive theory of evolution after his
studies of biology
Robert Boyle - Answer-Father of modern chemistry
Boyle's Air Pump - Answer-Boyle's air pump, or vacuum chamber, created a space for experimentation
on air, and it became the expensive centerpiece of a new scientific organization, the Royal Society of
London.
Epigenetics - Answer-the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a
DNA change
, material technologies - Answer-Materials technology is a relatively comprehensive discipline that begins
with the production of goods from raw materials to processing of materials into the shapes and forms
needed for specific applications.
literary technologies - virtual witnessing - Answer-This consisted of Boyle providing pictorial
representations of his experiments via engravements and line drawings. These pictures, replications,
and witnesses allowed viewers to get a more complete context of how scientific discoveries were made.
Social Technologies - Answer-We mean something analogous to the idea of social engineering, a
concept that came about at the end of the 19th century that refers to the intentional design of specific
social arrangements and ways of operating.
John Tyndall - Answer-showed evidence that some microbes have very high heat resistance and are
difficult to destroy
Isaac Newton's Alchemy - Answer-medieval chemical philosophy based on changing metal into gold; a
seemingly magical power or process of transmutation
Arthur Worthington - Answer-Arthur Mason Worthington CB FRS was an English physicist and educator.
He is best known for his work on fluid mechanics, especially the physics of splashes; for observing those,
he pioneered techniques of high speed photography.
Feminist Science Studies - Answer-Feminist science studies (FSS) is a field of study that is
interdisciplinary. It draws upon the philosophy, historiography and sociology of science.1 It also has to
necessarily draw upon the practice of science itself. While social scientists might gain insights into the
practice and culture of science through their research, the insider story is best told through the
narratives and accounts of practitioners of science.
boundary work - Answer-work done to maintain the border between legitimate and non legitimate
science within a specific scientific discipline or between legitimate disciplines
