What Science Is and How It Works

by Gregory N. Derry

How does a scientist go about solving problems? How do scientific discoveries happen? Why are cold fusion and parapsychology different from mainstream science? What is a scientific worldview? In this lively and wide-ranging book, Gregory Derry talks about these and other questions as he introduces the reader to the process of scientific thinking. From the discovery of X rays and semiconductors to the argument for continental drift to the invention of the smallpox vaccine, scientific work has proceeded through honest observation, critical reasoning, and sometimes just plain luck. Derry starts out with historical examples, leading readers through the events, experiments, blind alleys, and thoughts of scientists in the midst of discovery and invention. Readers at all levels will come away with an enriched appreciation of how science operates and how it connects with our daily lives.


An especially valuable feature of this book is the actual demonstration of scientific reasoning. Derry shows how scientists use a small number of powerful yet simple methods--symmetry, scaling, linearity, and feedback, for example--to construct realistic models that describe a number of diverse real-life problems, such as drug uptake in the body, the inner workings of atoms, and the laws of heredity.


Science involves a particular way of thinking about the world, and Derry shows the reader that a scientific viewpoint can benefit most personal philosophies and fields of study. With an eye to both the power and limits of science, he explores the relationships between science and topics such as religion, ethics, and philosophy. By tackling the subject of science from all angles, including the nuts and bolts of the trade as well as its place in the overall scheme of life, the book provides a perfect place to start thinking like a scientist.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 1999

Reviews

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just getting ready to re-read this: one of my very favorite books now (Sept. 2012) on what science 'is' and how it works.

[Alberto Tebaldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had some part a bit hard to grasp but was overall a very complete and understandable description of the world of science.

[Qicheng Tang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this book. The final part of the book feels a bit too elementary to me. A good scientist should first and foremost be curious about the world.

[Rus Zee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very unique book. I would strongly suggest it to anyone who has a natural interest in the Sciences.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm planning to use this book for an astro101 class I'm teaching this fall. I chose it because the head of the physics dept. at Loyola College where I'll be teaching recommended it. Myself, I prefer Sagan's "Demon Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark" but he tried using that book for one of his classes and said it wasn't as good for that purpose as this one. I do think this is a very good intro to what science is for non-specialists.