SC300-07 Big Ideas in Science

Unit 2 Seminar: Uncertainty & The Black Hole

1/11/12James Stevens MS RD

Adjunct Faculty

Department of Science

School of General Education

Notable Quote

“Black holes are where God divided by zero.”

Steven Wright

US comedian and actor

Today’s Topics

• Uncertainty in Science

• The mystery and science of black holes

Uncertainty

• What examples of uncertainty exist in What examples of uncertainty exist in your daily life?your daily life?

Uncertainty

• What examples of uncertainty exist in your daily life?

• How do you “reconcile” that uncertainty?How do you “reconcile” that uncertainty?

Uncertainty

• What examples of uncertainty exist in your daily life?

• How do you “reconcile” that uncertainty?

• What uncertainties have you observed in What uncertainties have you observed in the scientific world?the scientific world?

Nutritional Uncertainties

Nutritional Uncertainties

Identify the uncertainty(ies) in this picture?

Evaluating uncertainty• The 95% confidence interval describes how repeated

measurements fall closer to the average (mean)

Scientific Report of CI

Outliers

A Black Hole: An Unwelcome Place

A Black Hole: A really bad 70’s movie

A Black Hole: An Unwelcome Place

Black Holes

What is the biggest obstacle to proving that black holes

really do exist?

Black Holes

What kinds of evidence are there that they do?

Black holes

Black holes

M47: X-Ray Signal PresenceElusive intermediate mass black hole

Black holes

Black holes

Black Holes

Given what you know about scientific inquiry, why is the

lack of direct evidence for black holes a problem for scientists?

Black holes

Hubble: The First Decade