The study of science was then

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a) the study of physics.

b) the study of natural philosophy.

c) the study of mathematics.

Natural philosophy was a single discipline concerned with

a) the scientific investigation of all natural phenomena.

b) the formulation of laws of nature.

c) the explanation of fundamental laws of nature.

Since Renaissance the growth of scientific knowledge has been so great that natural philosophy

a) has divided into two main branches: experimental and theoretical.

b) has divided into numerous disciplines.

c) has given rise to physics and mathematics.

To attempt to define physics in a couple of sentences

a) is quite easy.

b) is rather difficult.

c) is all but impossible.

Physics

a) studies interactions of different natural phenomena.

b) is about understanding of the material world.

c) deals primarily with phenomena that can be described in terms of matter and energy.

One of the aims of physics is

a) to explain the world using the simplest ideas and theories.

b) to describe all natural phenomena.

c) to provide accurate knowledge about actual behaviour of natural phenomena.

2. Give the answers to the questions.

1. What was the only scientific discipline that existed 400 years ago?

2. What was it concerned with?

3. Why did new sciences arise in the period of Renaissance?

4. Why does physics remain closest to the original ideal of those early natural philosophers?

5. Why is it impossible to define physics in a couple of sentences?

6. How is physics generally defined?

7. What is physics, in your opinion?

8. Do you agree with any definition of physics given in the text? Why?

9. What is one of the most important aims of physics?

10. How can physics influence the development of modern thought?

11. Where can graduates from Physics faculties of different universities be employed?

3. Mark the sentences below T (true) or F (false). Give arguments to support your opinion.

1. Even in the 17^th century scientists understood the word physicist.

2. Scientific investigations at that time were concerned with the study of natural philosophy.

3. As a result of the division of natural philosophy a number of different disciplines appeared.

4. Physics is no longer concerned with the ideas of early natural philosophers.

5. Anyone can give an exact definition of physics.

6. Physics is what physicists do.

7. Today physicists believe that the true explanation of natural phenomena cannot be as complicated as it might appear at first sight.

8. The main aim of physics is to try to explain the world using the simplest ideas and theories.

9. Graduates from Physics faculties can be employed everywhere.

4. Organize the jumbled sentences given below to sum up the contents of the text “Physics”.

1. Physics greatly influences the development of modern thought.

2. Several centuries ago the term physics didn’t exist as the only scientific discipline of that time was natural philosophy that investigated all natural phenomena.

3. Physics has a wide spectrum of aims, one of which is to explain the world using the simplest ideas and equations.

4. What is physics and what discoveries are physicists making nowadays?

5. Future physicists are well-trained specialists who can be employed in different fields including academic physics, industry, teaching, etc.

6. One can give different definitions of physics, e.g. it is a curious mixture of creative effort and lucky discovery, of experimentation and mathematical deduction, etc.

7. Due to the growth of scientific knowledge a number of different sciences arose.

Vocabulary work

1. Find in two columns words with the opposite meaning.

(B). Choose from the box above appropriate words and use them in suitable forms.

1. … methods never promote a solution of a problem.

2. She kept the diet to … some weight.

3. Her behaviour … a bad impression.

4. Everyone needs time to play, but some let it …. into laziness.

5. Who knows what tree … from a small seed?

6. They … what they set out to do.

7. The Nobel Prize is awarded for an … contribution to science.

8. I want to trace the … of the word “science”.

9. He brought his experiments to a ….

10. I … words to express my thanks.

2. (A). Match words with similar meanings.

(B). Fill in the blanks using the proper words from the box above in suitable forms. (Sometimes more than one word can be used).

1. He has … greatly to the development of national science.

2. She … an examination yesterday.

3. I … she’ll be a success at the party.

4. The news … him greatly.

5. He was eminent in his ….

6. They have spent a lot of time … into the effects of certain chemicals on the human brain.

7. Ours was a … acquaintance.

8. A suitable idea has already been … by the chairman.

3. Choose appropriate verbs or adjectives from the box and combine them with the following nouns: research, theory, scientist, advances. Think of 3-4 sentences where these expressions can be used.

4. (A). Name nouns that can be formed using the verbs given below. Use the texts above to fulfill the task. (Be careful as not all nouns can be found in the texts). Add some more nouns if possible.

To research, to develop, to predict, to investigate, to influence, to discover.

(B). Complete the sentences using some of the nouns derived from the verbs mentioned above.

1. They were engaged in ….

2. It was a … unimaginative a decade earlier.

3. The … proved correct.

4. He is an … in his field.

5. On closer … we discovered the cause of the fire.

6. Several years ago he made a world-shaking ….

5. Fill in the blanks using the words from the box.

1. Her current … is laser physics.

2. She … research in the field of nanotechnologies.

3. Being an … scientist Faraday … a lot to the development of experimental physics.

4. On the basis of recent achievements they predicted further … in their field of science.

5. Physics is divided into half a dozen or more different ….

6. Science is systemized knowledge derived through experimentation, observation and ….

7. The branch of science she is concerned with … knowledge about the use of lasers in medicine.

8. His discovery … further progress in chemistry.

6. Replace the word in italics in each sentence with the word from the box. Use each word once only.

1. What is known as modern science studies the phenomena of physical nature.

2. Theory establishes relationships between cause and result.

3. Observation and description are not sufficient for understanding and ultimately forecasting actions.

4. To carry out an analysis one often needs to be engaged in abstraction.

5. Physics gives us accurate information of the actual behaviour of natural phenomena.

6. He proposed some idea to explain the data obtained.

7. What are the present issues in your field of research?

8. They invited several distinguished scientists to their conference.

7. Fill in the crossword puzzle.

Down

1. Smth done successfully, with effort and skill.

2. To have an influence or impression on; to act on.

3. Act of contributing, smth contributed.

4. (Of persons) distinguished, eminent.

5. Developing or being developed; a new stage which is the result of developing.

6. Now passing; of the present time; in common or general use.

Across

7. To make or become greater in number or quantity; to come or gather together.

8. Translate into English.

1. Сейчас он занят исследованием структуры наноматериалов.

2. Чтобы провести эти эксперименты, потребуется много времени.

3. На нашей конференции присутствовало несколько выдающихся ученых, которые внесли значительный вклад в развитие физики.

4. Гипотеза, выдвинутая несколько десятилетий назад, только недавно нашла свое подтверждение.

5. Самые последние достижения в области медицины обсуждались на ежегодном конгрессе медиков.

6. Наш план был успешно выполнен.

7. Ее область исследования – криптография. Она заинтересовалась ею еще будучи студенткой второго курса.

8. Эти открытия значительно повлияли на дальнейшее развитие теоретической физики.

Follow-up activities

1. Prepare a report about your field of science.

2. In pairs, ask for and give information on your field of science and research.

3. Interview each other on the progress made in your fields of science and its influence on life today.

UNIT 7

RESEARCH PROBLEM

Pre-reading tasks

1. The text you are going to read is headlined “What is a research problem?” Think of as many questions as possible the answers to which you hope to find in the text. Write down these questions.

2. In pairs, ask and answer these questions.

3. Do you consider your current research problem topical? Support your viewpoint by convincing evidence.

4. Match the words in the column A (most of them are in the text below) with their definitions in the column B.

5. The words given in the box can be combined to form collocations. Use each word once only. Make use of the text below to fulfill the task.

Reading

Read the first four paragraphs of the text “What is a research problem?” and choose appropriate words to fill in the blanks.

WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM?

Research 1) … a cycle. It 2) … with a problem and ends with a 3) … to the problem. The problem 4) … is therefore the axis which the whole research revolves around, because it 5) … in short the aim of the research.

1 WHAT IS A RESEARCH PROBLEM?

A research 6) … is the situation that 7) … the researcher to feel apprehensive, confused and ill at ease. It is the demarcation of a problem area within a certain context 8) … the WHO or WHAT, the WHERE, the WHEN and the WHY of the problem situation.

There are many problem situations that may 9) … research. Three sources usually 10) … to problem identification. Own experience or the experience of others may be a 11) … of problem supply. A second source could be scientific 12) … You may read about certain findings and notice that a certain 13) … was not covered. This could lead to a research problem. Theories could be a third source. 14) … in theories could be researched.

Research can thus be 15) … at clarifying or substantiating an existing theory, at clarifying contradictory findings, at correcting a faulty methodology, at correcting the inadequate or unsuitable use of statistical techniques, at reconciling conflicting opinions, or at solving existing practical problems.

2 IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM

The prospective researcher should think on what caused the need to do the research (problem identification). The question that he/she should ask is: Are there questions about this problem to which answers have not been found up to the present?

Research originates from a need that arises. A clear distinction between the PROBLEM and the PURPOSE should be made. The problem is the aspect the researcher worries about, think about, wants to find a solution for. The purpose is to solve the problem, i.e. find answers to the question(s). If there is no clear problem formulation, the purpose and methods are meaningless.

Keep the following in mind:

– Outline the general context of the problem area.

– Highlight key theories, concepts and ideas current in this area.

– What appears to be some of the underlying assumptions of this area?

– Why are these issues identified important?

– What needs to be solved?

– Read round the area (subject) to get to know the background and to identify unanswered questions or controversies, and/or to identify the most significant issues for further exploration.

The research problem should be stated in such a way that it would lead to analytical thinking on the part of the researcher with the aim of possible concluding solutions to the stated problem. Research problems can be stated in the form of either questions or statements. The research problem should always be formulated grammatically correct and as completely as possible. You should bear in mind the wording (expressions) you use. Avoid meaningless words. There should be no doubt in the mind of the reader what your intentions are. Demarcating the research field into manageable parts by dividing the main problem into subproblems is of the utmost importance.

3 SUBPROBLEM(S)

Subproblems are problems related to the main problem identified. Subproblems flow from the main problem and make up the main problem. It is the means to reach the set goal in a manageable way and contribute to solving the problem.

4 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The statement of the problem involves the demarcation and formulation of the problem, i.e. the WHO/WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY. It usually includes the statement of the hypothesis.

1. a) models b) develops c) forms d) appears

2. a) starts b) initiates c) commences d) originates

3. a) answer b) solution c) explanation d) solute

4. a) statement b) announcement c) declaration d) assertion

5. a) justifies b) explains c) accounts d) proves

6. a) difficulty b) puzzle c)problem d) theme

7. a) gives rise b) brings about c) makes d) causes

8. a) involving b) confusing c) complicating d) connected

9. a) result from b) give rise to c) arise d) start

10. a) provide b) donate c) help d) contribute

11. a) origin b) stimulus c) source d) impetus

12. a) literature b) information c) facts d) references

13. a) phenomenon b) field c) realm d) sphere

14. a) losses b) failure c) shortcomings d) flaws

15. a) aimed b) pointed c) directed d) focused

Read the whole text carefully and fulfill the tasks given in Comprehension check.

Comprehension check

1. Choose a, b, or c to complete the sentences.

The problem statement

a) briefly explains the purpose of the research.

b) involves the formulation of the who and the what questions.

c) includes possible problem solutions.

A research problem

a) worries a scientist to some extent.

b) causes a lot of trouble.

c) makes a researcher feel ill at ease and confused.

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