SFAA Links

Dr. Shahn has suggested the following links to topics within SFAA sections. The lecture and lab numbers refer to items listed in the course syllabi. Further explanation is available.

CHAPTER 1: THE NATURE OF SCIENCE
The Scientific World View

Scientific Ideas are Subject to Change

throughout the course

Scientific Knowledge is Durable

throughout the course
Scientific Inquiry

Science Demands Evidence

throughout the course; emphasized in essays
The Scientific Enterprise

Science Is a Complex Social Activity

course introduction
   
CHAPTER 2: THE NATURE OF MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, Science and Technology

Science and Mathematics

developed in some labs
   
CHAPTER 4: THE PHYSICAL SETTING
The Universe

Size and Inventory

Fall lectures 3-17

Solar System Inventory

Fall lectures 3-17
Processes that Shape the Earth

Interior and Moving Plates

Spring lectures 38-39

Rock Cycle and Strata

Spring lectures 19-21
Structure of Matter

Diversity of Substances

Fall lectures 33-41; fall labs 10-14

Elements and Atoms

Fall lectures 33-41; fall labs 10-14

Atomic Structure

Spring lectures 10, 11

Isotopes and Radioactivity

Spring lecture 12
Energy Transformations

Forms, Conversion, and Conservation

Fall lectures 23, 24; lab 9
Motion

Force and Changes in Motion

Fall lectures 14-20; labs 6-8
Forces of Nature

Gravitational Forces and Fields

Fall lectures 20, 21
   
CHAPTER 5: THE LIVING ENVIRONMENT
Diversity of Life

Variety, Similarity, and Species

Spring labs 8, 9

Heredity

Spring lectures 31-33; spring labs 11, 12

Breeding for Differences

Spring lectures 31-33, spring labs 11, 12

Evolution of Life

Spring lectures 24-30, 34, 35; spring labs 10, 14
   
CHAPTER 8: THE DESIGNED WORLD
Materials and Manufacturing

Materials

Fall lectures 29, 30
   
CHAPTER 9: THE MATHEMATICAL WORLD
Numbers

Magnitude Labels

used implicitly in labs

Fractions

used implicitly in labs

Number Line and Negative Numbers

used implicitly in labs

Various Uses of Numbers

used implicitly in labs
Symbolic Relationships

Alternative Representations of Relationships

used implicitly in labs

Variables

used implicitly in labs

Manipulation of Equations

used implicitly in labs

Rates of Change

used implicitly in labs
Shapes

Basic Shapes and Relationships

used implicitly in labs

Uncertainty

in sense of errors encountered in labs
   
CHAPTER 10: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES
Displacing the Earth from the Center of the Universe

Ancient Model of Circles around the Earth

Fall lectures 2-10

Circles or Ellipses around the Sun

Fall lectures 18-21

Telescopic Observation

Fall lecture 14
Uniting the Heavens and Earth

Common Laws of Motion for Earth and Heavens

Fall lectures 18, 19
Extending Time

Old Ideas and Evidence about the Age of the Earth

Spring lectures 19, 20

Moving the Continents

Spring lectures 38, 39

Understanding Fire

Fall lectures 33-36
Splitting the Atom

Discovery of Radioactive Elements

Spring lecture 12

The Internal Structure of Atoms

Spring lectures 10, 11
Explaining the Diversity of Life

Acquired Features versus Natural Selection

Spring lecture 25

Evolution Theory and Resistance to It

Spring lectures 26-28

Genetic Basis of Evolution

Spring lectures 31-34
   
CHAPTER 11: COMMON THEMES
Models

Physical Models

throughout the course; fall lab 5

Conceptual Models

throughout the course; fall lab 5
   
CHAPTER 12: HABITS OF MIND

Values and Attitude

implicitly in lectures

Critical-Response Skills

emphasized in essay assignments