Models of scientific inquiry refer to frameworks or approaches that describe how scientists investigate phenomena, gather data, and develop theories. These models outline the processes, methods, and principles that guide scientific research and help ensure that findings are reliable and valid. While there are many specific models of scientific inquiry, several key concepts and frameworks are commonly referenced: 1. **Hypothesis-Driven Inquiry**: This model involves developing a hypothesis, which is a testable prediction about the relationship between variables.
The phases of matter refer to the distinct forms that different phases of matter take on. The most commonly recognized phases are solid, liquid, and gas, but there are also more complex phases. Here are the primary phases: 1. **Solid**: In solids, particles are closely packed together and vibrate in fixed positions. This gives solids a definite shape and volume. The intermolecular forces are strong, keeping the particles firmly in place.
Testability is a quality attribute that refers to how easily a system, component, or piece of software can be tested in order to ensure that it behaves as expected. The concept encompasses several aspects: 1. **Ease of Testing**: A system that is easily testable allows testers to verify its functionality with minimal setup or complexity. This includes the ability to create test cases, execute those tests, and obtain clear results.
Nature (journal) by Ciro Santilli 37 Updated 2025-07-16
Ended up under Springer in 2015 after a massive merger.
The philosophy of motion delves into the conceptual, metaphysical, and epistemological questions surrounding the nature of motion and change. It addresses several key issues: 1. **Nature of Motion**: What is motion? Is it a fundamental aspect of reality, or is it merely an illusion or a construct? Philosophers have debated whether motion is a property of objects themselves or a relationship between them. 2. **Time and Space**: Motion is often intimately connected to the concepts of time and space.
Physicalism is a philosophical theory that asserts that everything that exists is ultimately physical in nature, or can be understood in terms of physical processes and entities. It holds that all phenomena, including mental states, consciousness, and abstract concepts, can be explained by physical laws and interactions, and that there is nothing beyond the physical realm. There are several key aspects to physicalism: 1. **Reductionism:** Physicalism often involves the idea that higher-level phenomena can be reduced to lower-level physical facts.
The problem of induction is a philosophical question regarding the justification of inductive reasoning, which is the process of deriving general principles from specific observations. Inductive reasoning involves making generalizations based on a finite set of observations, such as concluding that "All swans are white" after observing many white swans. The problem arises from the challenge of providing a rational justification for this type of reasoning.
Revisionary materialism is a philosophical position in the context of the philosophy of mind and metaphysics that seeks to revise or reinterpret traditional materialism. Traditional materialism typically holds that everything that exists is ultimately material or physical in nature, and all phenomena (including mental phenomena) can be explained in terms of physical processes and entities. Revisionary materialism, on the other hand, often addresses some limitations or challenges associated with traditional materialism, especially in relation to consciousness, mental states, and subjective experiences.
"Science in a Free Society" is a phrase that can refer to the relationship between scientific inquiry, freedom of thought, and the societal context in which science operates. While it does not refer to a specific, universally recognized concept or organization, it represents themes often discussed in the fields of philosophy, sociology, and policy regarding the role of science in democratic societies.
BET theory, or Brunauer-Emmett-Teller theory, is a scientific model used to describe the physical adsorption of gas molecules on a solid surface and to determine surface area through measurement of gas adsorption. It expands upon the Langmuir isotherm, which considers only monolayer adsorption, by allowing for multilayer adsorption.
In the context of biology, the term "double layer" often refers to a specific structural configuration of membranes, particularly biological membranes composed of lipids. The most notable example is the phospholipid bilayer, which is a fundamental component of cell membranes. ### Phospholipid Bilayer 1. **Structure**: The phospholipid bilayer consists of two layers of phospholipid molecules.
Scientific pluralism is a philosophical perspective that acknowledges the legitimacy of multiple methods, theories, and approaches in the pursuit of scientific knowledge. Rather than favoring a singular, universal explanation for scientific phenomena, pluralism embraces a diversity of perspectives and strategies, recognizing that different contexts, disciplines, or problems may require different kinds of explanations or frameworks. Key features of scientific pluralism include: 1. **Multiple Methodologies**: Pluralism holds that no single scientific method is superior for all types of inquiry.
Sheldon Krimsky is an American philosopher, scholar, and author known for his work in the fields of science, technology, and society (STS). He has extensively studied the ethical and social implications of biotechnology, including genetic engineering and its impact on society. Krimsky has served as a professor at Tufts University and held positions in various academic and research organizations.
Bacterial adhesion in aquatic systems refers to the process by which bacteria attach themselves to surfaces in water environments, such as phytoplankton, other microorganisms, sediments, or artificial structures like ship hulls and water treatment facilities. This process plays a significant role in various ecological, biochemical, and biogeochemical processes in aquatic environments.
Bioaerosols are airborne particles that contain biological materials, such as microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi), pollen, plant fibers, and other organic materials. These particles can vary in size, typically ranging from a few nanometers to several micrometers in diameter, and they can remain suspended in the air for extended periods of time. Bioaerosols can originate from various sources, including human activities, natural processes, and environmental conditions.
An electrolyte is a substance that produces an electrically conducting solution when dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Electrolytes can be ionic compounds, acids, or bases that dissociate into ions in solution. These ions facilitate the conduction of electricity. Common examples of electrolytes include: 1. **Sodium chloride (NaCl)**: Common table salt, which dissolves in water to produce sodium (Na⁺) and chloride (Cl⁻) ions.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact