Scientific Illiteracy: Causes, Costs and Cures

[Excerpt] This article examines the causes of the learning deficits in science, math and technology, evaluates their social costs and then recommends policy measures for remedying the problems identified. Following the American Association for the Advancement of Science\u27s Science for All Americans report, I define the domain of science very broadly to include mathematics and technology along with the natural sciences. To avoid confusing readers accustomed to the narrower definition of science, broadly defined science is referred to as science, mathematics and technology

Mathematical Knowledge, the Analytic Method, and Naturalism

This chapter tries to answer the following question: How should we conceive of the method of mathematics, if we take a naturalist stance? The problem arises since mathematical knowledge is regarded as the paradigm of certain knowledge, because mathematics is based on the axiomatic method. Moreover, natural science is deeply mathematized, and science is crucial for any naturalist perspective. But mathematics seems to provide a counterexample both to methodological and ontological naturalism. To face this problem, some authors tried to naturalize mathematics by relying on evolutionism. But several difficulties arise when we try to do this. This chapter suggests that, in order to naturalize mathematics, it is better to take the method of mathematics to be the analytic method, rather than the axiomatic method, and thus conceive of mathematical knowledge as plausible knowledge

Quanta Mathematica Instrumentalis!

Quanta mathematica instrumentalis, from Latin, might mean How much mathematics for physical applications. But we try to give this expression another meaning. \ud We discuss how mathematics and its instrumental nature could serve as paradigm for other human activities and science in general. We introduce notions of higher observer and field of information. We discuss question why we are to study and develop mathematics more diligently than we do in natural way.\u

Pharmacy Student's perceptions of Natural Science and Mathematics Subjects

Objective. To determine the level of importance pharmacy students placed on science and mathematics subjects for pursuing a career in pharmacy. Method. Two hundred fifty-four students completed a survey instrument developed to investigate students’ perceptions of the relevance of science and mathematics subjects to a career in pharmacy. Pharmacy students in all 4 years of a master of pharmacy (MPharm) degree program were invited to complete the survey instrument. Results. Students viewed chemistry-based and biology-based subjects as relevant to a pharmacy career, whereas mathematics subjects such as physics, logarithms, statistics, and algebra were not viewed important to a career in pharmacy. Conclusion. Students’ experience in pharmacy and year of study influenced their perceptions of subjects relevant to a pharmacy career. Pharmacy educators need to consider how they can help students recognize the importance of scientific knowledge earlier in the pharmacy curriculum

Process categories: the metaphysics, methodology & mathematics, philosophy of nature and process philosophy

To apply the metaphysical methodology of mathematics to the logic and form of process in natural philosophy requires a metaphysics above modelling, a methodology more than method and a mathematics beyond the set based topics of arithmetic, algebra, geometry and topology. At the start of the twentieth century Alfred North Whitehead together with his former student Bertrand Russell was able to expound the form and logic of the mathematics of his day by the extensive treatment of axioms and theorems. The technical quality of this work found world acclaim and became the foundation for the advancement of science by the application of models still with us today

The Impact of Curriculum-Based Examinations on Learning in Canadian Secondary Schools

Externally set curriculum-based examinations at the end of high school apparently have pervasive backwash effects on middle school students, their parents, teachers and school administrators. Holding the social class background of students constant, students from Canadian provinces with examination systems were substantially (23 percent of a standard deviation) better prepared in mathematics and 18 percent of a standard deviation better prepared in science than students from provinces lacking such exams. The effect of an exam system on mathematics achievement of 13 year olds is larger in a standard deviation metric than the decline in math SAT scores between 1969 and 1980 that has been such a focus of public concern. Other natural experiments yield similar findings. When adjustments are made for ethnicity, gender and social class of SAT test takers, New York State ranks higher on the SAT than any of the other 38 states where the test is taken by large numbers of students. The mathematics and science achievement of Swedish high school seniors declined in the years following the elimination of high/medium stakes curriculum-based exams. The analysis also found that examination systems had pervasive effects on school administrators, teachers and parents. In the provinces with external exams, schools were more likely to: -- employ specialist teachers of mathematics and science -- employ teachers who had studied the subject in college, -- have high quality science laboratories -- schedule extra hours of math and science instruction -- assign more homework in math, in science and in other subjects -- have students do or watch experiments in science class and -- schedule frequent tests in math and science class. At home students watch less TV, spend more time reading for fun, and are more likely to report their parents want them to do well in math and science. In addition, parents are more likely to talk to their child about what they are learning at school

Nilpotent Groups

This article describes the concept of the nilpotent group and some properties of the nilpotent groups.Li Dailu - Qingdao University of Science and Technology, ChinaLiang Xiquan - Qingdao University of Science and Technology, ChinaMen Yanhong - Qingdao University of Science and Technology, ChinaGrzegorz Bancerek. The fundamental properties of natural numbers. Formalized Mathematics, 1(1):41-46, 1990.Grzegorz Bancerek and Krzysztof Hryniewiecki. Segments of natural numbers and finite sequences. Formalized Mathematics, 1(1):107-114, 1990.Czesław Byliński. Functions and their basic properties. Formalized Mathematics, 1(1):55-65, 1990.Czesław Byliński. Functions from a set to a set. Formalized Mathematics, 1(1):153-164, 1990.Wojciech A. Trybulec. Classes of conjugation. Normal subgroups. Formalized Mathematics, 1(5):955-962, 1990.Wojciech A. Trybulec. Groups. Formalized Mathematics, 1(5):821-827, 1990.Wojciech A. Trybulec. Subgroup and cosets of subgroups. Formalized Mathematics, 1(5):855-864, 1990.Wojciech A. Trybulec. Commutator and center of a group. Formalized Mathematics, 2(4):461-466, 1991.Wojciech A. Trybulec and Michał J. Trybulec. Homomorphisms and isomorphisms of groups. Quotient group. Formalized Mathematics, 2(4):573-578, 1991.Katarzyna Zawadzka. Solvable groups. Formalized Mathematics, 5(1):145-147, 1996