Question

multiple-choice question
if the traditional understanding of science is correct, which of the following four be considered science? check all that apply. (there may be one or more answers.)

• suspecting that the coronavirus was created in a chinese laboratory, you watch a youtube video that claims that the coronavirus was created in a chinese laboratory, and conclude, therefore, that the coronavirus was created in a chinese laboratory.

• you conduct an experiment to determine whether plants grow better when they are sung to, and you have neither a strong opinion about what the answer is, nor do you want a particular answer to be true.

• you conduct an experiment to determine whether plants grow better when they are sung to, strongly suspecting (before the experiment begins) that plants grow better when they are sung to.

• suspecting that the coronavirus was not created in a chinese laboratory, you watch a youtube video that claims that the coronavirus was not created in a chinese laboratory, and conclude, therefore, that the coronavirus was not created in a chinese laboratory.

Explanation:

To determine which are "science" under traditional understanding, we analyze each option:

• The first and fourth options rely on a YouTube video (non - scientific, biased source) and pre - existing suspicion to conclude, not following scientific method.
• The second option: Conducting an experiment with no strong prior opinion (objective) follows the scientific method (testing a hypothesis, being unbiased).
• The third option: Even with a prior suspicion, conducting an experiment to test the hypothesis (plants’ growth with singing) is part of the scientific method (hypothesis testing, data collection), so it’s scientific.

Answer:

B. You conduct an experiment to determine whether plants grow better when they are sung to, and you have neither a strong opinion about what the answer is, nor do you 'want' a particular answer to be true.
C. You conduct an experiment to determine whether plants grow better when they are sung to, strongly suspecting (before the experiment begins) that plants grow better when they are sung to.