Homework #1  Science and Pseudoscience

                                                                    First Week ASTR1020  Dr. Doug Duncan     Name:_______ 

Download, fill out, and email to your learning assistant (LA).  Keep a copy to discuss in section.

1.  In class we "showed" that some people have psychic power.  Describe a scientific way of testing if someone really does have psychic power. 

2. Go to the www. Find two science sites, one that you think is really good, and one that you think is bogus. If you can find sites related to the science of astronomy, great, but I will allow other sciences as well.

For the "bogus" site, I'll be most impressed if you find something that looks credible, but is actually not true.

Write the web addresses here.

Good site:  _________________________________

Bogus site:  _________________________________

3.  Now comes the most important part of the exercise. Explain how you decide whether something you read on the web is true or false. How did you decide that your bogus site was not telling the truth?  Do you apply the same criteria to something you see on TV or read in the paper?  Please be thoughtful about your answer, and write it here: