NATS 1840 Lecture Notes - Life-Cycle Assessment, Biome, Scientific Notation
Document Summary
Everything that surrounds you, from just outside your skin to the edge of the universe. The environment consists of all those parts of the physical world that help to sustain life: if a part of the environment is under stress (a change), then its ability to sustain life may be threatened. The systematic study of how and why nature works the way it does. Uses empirical methods (testing one"s offered explanations) to test possible explanations of observations. Seeks to uncover basic underlying principles so that predictions may be made. A rational process drawing upon two forms of reasoning : inductive reasoning synthesis, creativity, inspiration and imagination, deductive reasoning logic, self-consistency, rigour, mathematics. The mode of thinking used in the formation of a hypothesis. General conclusion from limited number of observations. Limited by finite number of observations not logically valid: inductive conclusions can only be proved in the sense that they are very likely, but not guaranteed, to be true.