Introduction
In 1812, research chemist and popular lecturer Humphry Davy was knighted for his services to Science. In that same year, he published an overview of his discipline, Elements of Chemical Philosophy, and prefaced it with an introduction to the basics of the new scientific method. There were, he said, three essential components to it.
THE foundations of chemical philosophy, are observation, experiment, and analogy. By observation, facts are distinctly and minutely impressed on the mind. By analogy, similar facts are connected. By experiment, new facts are discovered; and, in the progression of knowledge, observation, guided by analogy, leads to experiment, and analogy confirmed by experiment, becomes scientific truth.
To give an instance. — Whoever will consider with attention the slender green vegetable filaments (Conferva rivularis)* which in the summer exist in almost all streams, lakes, or pools, under the different circumstances of shade and sunshine, will discover globules of air upon the filaments exposed under water to the sun, but no air on the filaments that are shaded. He will find that the effect is owing to the presence of light. This is an observation; but it gives no information respecting the nature of the air.
* The term ‘Conferva rivularis’ comes from the classification by Linnaeus, or Carl von Linne (1707-1778). Botanists prefer today to speak of Cladophora, which encompasses a wide range of green algae. A traditional English name is ‘crow-silk’.
Précis
In 1812, Sir Humphry Davy highlighted for readers new to chemistry a three-step path to scientific knowledge. Observation amasses diverse facts; Analogy suggests ways to generalise about those facts; and any generalisations are then tested rigorously by Experiment. As an illustration, he proposed to examine the air bubbles that form on pond weed on sunny days. (56 / 60 words)
In 1812, Sir Humphry Davy highlighted for readers new to chemistry a three-step path to scientific knowledge. Observation amasses diverse facts; Analogy suggests ways to generalise about those facts; and any generalisations are then tested rigorously by Experiment. As an illustration, he proposed to examine the air bubbles that form on pond weed on sunny days.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 60 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 50 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: because, despite, may, must, not, otherwise, since, whereas.
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