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DATA ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS
The fundamental component of scientific thinking is the ability to assess the accuracy of any claim. Just about every conclusion we reach about our universe is based on incomplete information; we must infer the answers to our questions from whatever data we have. For example, we know that the Sun has risen every morning of our lifetimes, but how do we know it'll rise again tomorrow morning? We must: - Gather data ("It has risen every morning for the past 2,000 mornings"); - Judge the value of these data ("Tomorrow morning is not so different from all past mornings to expect the Sun's behavior to deviate from the past 2,000 mornings"); and - Justify our conclusion based on that judgment ("Yes, the sun will rise tomorrow morning). Although it may sound complicated, it's not. We use our good judgment and our common sense all the time in our daily lives; in science, we use tools very similar to "our good judgment" and "our common sense" to test the validity or accuracy of a measurement or statement. |