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Evolution in New York State's Earth Science Curriculum |
Key Idea 1:
The Earth and celestial phenomena can be described by principles of relative motion and perspective.
People have observed the stars for thousands of years, using them to find direction, note the passage of time, and to express their values and traditions. As our technology has progressed, so has understanding of celestial objects and events.
Theories of the universe have developed over many centuries. Although to a casual observer celestial bodies appeared to orbit a stationary Earth, scientific discoveries led us to the understanding that Earth is one planet that orbits the Sun, a typical star in a vast and ancient universe. We now infer an origin and an age and evolution of the universe, as we speculate about its future.
As we look at Earth, we find clues to its origin and how it has changed through nearly five billion years, as well as the evolution of life on Earth.
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science: a way of knowing about the natural world
Scientific explanations are based on observations and facts that can be confirmed or disproved by other scientists using accepted scientific techniques.
law: a description of how a natural phenomenon will occur under certain circumstances
Kepler's Law of Planetary Motion describes the relationship between the time it takes a planet to go around the Sun and the planet's distance from the Sun.
fact: a natural phenomenon repeatedly confirmed by observation
It takes Venus 225 days to go around the Sun.
hypothesis: a possible and testable statement about a natural phenomenon
Newton proposed that the force of gravity between two objects depends on the distance between the objects.
theory: a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that typically incorporates many confirmed observations, laws, and successfully verified hypotheses
Heliocentricism: the Sun is the center of our solar system.
SOURCE: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/educators/teachstuds/pdf/unit1.pdf
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