Harry Potter: Nature of Science
"Neville! Neville, where are you? Neville!" Hermione shouted, running down the halls and looking in empty classrooms.
Ron, who was tagging along, groaned. "Why are we looking for Neville?"
"Because he's our friend!" Hermione snapped. "And he got insulted by a teacher! That's against school protocol! We need to report him to the headmaster's office!"
"So? Snape insults us all the time, and no one ever reports him."
"Well, he's Snape," Hermione said simply. "Neville! Neville!"
"Guys, he's in here," Harry said, waving them over to the classroom he was looking in. Hermione and Ron rushed into the classroom with him, and sure enough, there was Neville hiding under the teacher's desk, still stuck to Seamus. Neville's face was red, and Seamus looked like he would rather be anywhere else.
"Please help me," he begged.
"Oh, alright," Hermione said. She took out her wand and unstuck them. Seamus stood right up immediately.
"Thanks a bunch," he said. "I've had to deal with Neville's blubbering for the past twenty minutes, and trust me, that's a lot less fun when you're stuck to the fella." Seamus sped out of the classroom.
Hermione knelt next to Neville. "What's wrong?"
He sniffled. "I hate science. Everything about it. I hate the class. I hate the teacher. I don't understand anything about the subject. Where am I supposed to start?"
"Well, how about the beginning? Let's have a little chat about the nature of science."
All three boys looked confused. "The what?" Harry asked.
"The nature of science. Honestly, he should have taught us this at the beginning of the class. But we'll have a mini-review right now. Sit." Harry and Ron sat. "Maybe you'll understand better.
"Now, the nature of science is the key principle and ideas that describe science as a way of knowing. It explains what science is and how it works. Here are the seven things that describe the nature of science –"
"Question," Ron said, raising his hand. "What does this have to do with Neville's blubbering?"
"One; the natural world is understandable," Hermione continued, ignoring him. "Two; science demands evidence. Three; science is a blend of logic and imagination."
"What's logic?"
"Four; scientific ideas are durable. Five; scientific ideas are subject to change. Six; science is a social activity, and seven; science avoids bias. Do you get why we do some of the stuff we do in science now?"
Harry and Neville nodded. But Ron shook his head. "No. What's all this stuff about theories and laws? They seem the same to me."
"Ah, that's easy. A theory is an explanation for many hypotheses and observations. They explain why things happen, and scientists often try to prove or disprove it. A law is a summary of many experimental results and observations. They tell what happens."
"That makes a little more sense," Ron said, wrinkling his brow, letting you know his rarely used brain was actually thinking.
"But, Hermione," Neville said quietly. "Why do we have to go through a long, complicated process when we experiment? What are you supposed to do? I just don't see."
"Well we do that to make sure we have correct information. It's called a scientific method, and it's basic information. First you ask a question, then make observations, form a hypothesis, which is a possible explanation or answer to the question. Then you test the hypothesis, analyze the results, draw your conclusion, and communicate the results to everyone else. Sometimes making or using a model is helpful."
"Like a supermodel?" Ron asked.
"You know what? Forget I said that part," Hermione said, shaking her head. She turned to Neville. "D'you get it now?"
Neville nodded. "I-i-it's better now. My brain doesn't throb every time I hear the word science now. Thanks. A lot."
"No problem. Just come to me if you need any more help," she said. "Now I think lunch is ready in the Great Hall now. Go." Neville gratefully got up and left.
Harry and Ron also got up to leave. "Out of class and still a lecture. And what does analyze mean?"
