Unit 9 Final Project
Jasmine Good
Kaplan University
SC300 -21 Kathleen McKee
June 17, 2012

Unit 9 Final Project

I came home on Sunday night after out being out with some friends for dinner. It had already been dark for a few hours, so I figured my dog would be lying on the other side waiting as usual. I didn’t want to trip or fall on him; I didn’t want to hurt myself or him, so when I unlocked the front door the first thing I did was reach into the doorway and felt for the light switch to the right. I wanted to turn the light on in the in the foyer before walking in so that I could see where I was going, and where he was lying, but when I flipped the switch nothing happened. I had a situation. Why wasn’t my light working and how was I going to fix it? I went back to the car and grabbed a flashlight from my trunk.

First, I had to identify my problem; I had no light in the dark. Next, I mentally compiled data relevant to the situation; I flipped the light switch and nothing happened. I then had a few different hypotheses. One, the light bulb was burned out. Two, there may have been a blown fuse, or three my bill payment was not received by the electric company.

In order for me to figure out which, if any, of my hypotheses were correct, I had a few experiments to perform. First, I walked to the room closest to the front door which was the dining room and turned the light switch on; the light came on; therefore, I believe that my bill payment had been received by the electric company because power to other sources that needed electricity worked. From the dining room, I went to the closet in the hall which housed the fuse box to my home. None of the switches were out of place which indicated that a blown fuse was not the answer as to why the light by the front door did not turn on when the switch was flipped. I grabbed a step stool and a light bulb from the same hall closet. I went to the light in front of the door and proceeded to change the light bulb. I flipped the switch and the light worked. My final conclusion was that the light did not initially work because the light bulb had burned out.

After fixing my light, I noticed how late it was and I still had much to do to get everything ready for my week ahead before going to bed. I looked to my closet and realized I may not have much to wear to work for the week and that would certainly be a problem. If I couldn’t figure out what I was going to wear for the week to work, I may need to stay up little later and get some laundry done. I had to gather what I had so I could figure out what I needed. The company I work for has a dress code; therefore, not just anything would do, I need particular clothing. I also had to assess how much of my laundry would need to be washed to complete a week’s worth of outfits for work, and what I already had that was clean. Next, my plan was to experiment with I what already had in my closet that was clean. I tried on a few skirts, surprised to find they still fit and a couple of pairs of pants. I even found a few pair that still had the tags on it. Then I matched a few tops from my closet with those skirts and pants, added some accessories and shoes. I was able to come up with three complete outfits for the week. I concluded that I would be able to get to bed early and wait until I got home from work Monday evening, Wednesday at the latest, to do a load of laundry so I would be dressed appropriately for the rest of the week at work.

These were only two examples in which I used the scientific method for my everyday life in one evening for very practical matters. The scientific method is a system of questions and answers, trial and error that help us with all sort of problems. All of use it every day and most of the time we aren’t even aware of it.

Every morning I open my eyes to the loud beeping of an alarm clock set to wake me up 7:00 am. I get out of bed and like most people, begin my day in the bathroom. I brush my teeth. Take a shower. Dry my hair. Put on make-up. Get dressed. Have some coffee. Currently I am unemployed and school just got out for the summer, so there is no hurry to get the kids up. I turn on the television; check the day’s weather and catch up on what’s going on around the nation and the world. Eventually, the girls get up on their own; I direct them to the bathroom for teeth brushing and face washing. I have them get dressed while I go to the kitchen and make breakfast, something easy and quick. I decide on French toast. An egg, some milk, a little cinnamon and some vanilla extract; I dip and cover the bread, fry it on each side till golden brown. It only takes a few minutes and the kids love it. I clean up the kitchen and the girls head to the living room for tennis and bowling on the Nintendo Wii. I vacuum the house; wash, dry, and fold a few loads of laundry, then take my turn on the Wii. I like to do the Wii Fit for some exercise. Around noon, I make some sandwiches for lunch. I take out my laptop and spend the rest of the afternoon doing working on Kaplan course assignments. Cook dinner, clean up and direct the girls to get their baths. At 7:00 pm the alarm feature on my cell phone beeps, set as a reminder for me to take medication and vitamins. I’ll watch a few hours of television, and then the girls and I go to bed.

I’ve often wondered how people of earlier centuries did certain things without the inventions, improved inventions, or advancements in science that offer and allow the conveniences we have today. Just brushing my teeth and taking a nice hot shower I realize at one time would have been a fine luxury, like a spa treatment at one time, even though now it just hygiene 101. From the alarm clock that wakes me up to the television with digital cable I watch every evening there are many obvious ways in which science has improved the quality of my life. I often record movies and shows through my DVR cable box (one of my top five luxuries) that I know I won’t be able to stay awake long enough to watch. I’ve been able to pursue a degree from my home using a laptop computer and Wi-Fi internet access. Science has allowed me such a perfect option for a mother of two that usually works full-time.

None of us, I think, would be able to survive without science. Science is the reason we as a species have been able to thrive. Science has given us the knowledge, understanding, and capabilities necessary for improvements and advancements in all areas of life. It has allowed for us to survive diseases, prevent diseases, improve hygiene, and live healthier lifestyles lengthening our life spans; a hundred years ago our life expectancy was barely over 50 (“No. hs-16.Expectation,” 2003). We’ve been able to do things unimaginable at one time. Things that seemed science-fiction have been made real. Men made machines that could fly. Entertainment was brought into our homes through radio and television. Men walked on the moon. DNA has become standard evidence that has allowed our prisons to release the one-time wrongly convicted and put others in prison for life.

On the other hand, even science has had its negative impacts. Medications, for example, have come a long way over the years thanks to science. I take medications everyday for depression and anxiety and imaging my life without them scares me. Some medications, however, have the potential to be addictive. Nations invade each other for fear that they may have or be making nuclear weapons. We realize our environmental destruction in the name of science; hopefully, we can find alternatives to using natural resources in science before it’s too late.

Before this course, I didn’t think about things such as the transportation of the food I eat and the impact it has on the environment. I realize now that science is more than chemistry, biology, and physics. I didn’t realize that science reached as far as agriculture and modern day food production. I particularly found the unit regarding Earth science interesting because I learned of the different kinds of natural disasters the area I live in is prone to. It wasn’t something I ever thought about before. I have always, however, found biology fascinating and I really enjoyed learning about genetic diseases and how they are inherited.

References

Trefil, J. and Hazen, R. (2010). The Sciences: An Integrated Approach (6th edition).

John Wiley & Sons Inc.

U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, Vital Statistics of the United States. (2003).

No. hs-16. expectation of life at birth by race and sex: 1900 to 2001. Retrieved from website: http://www.census.gov/statab/hist/HS-16.pdf