What is the basic idea of modern science?
Q: What is the basic idea of modern science?
A: The basic idea of modern science is the act of locating something, or finding and defining the location of something.
Q: How do we generally locate things about our size?
A: We generally use two beginning points that everybody knows about, and then measure from those points to the thing we want to give a location.
Q: How can we find a ship's location?
A: We could say, "Captain Smith's ship is 1400 miles from Plymouth Rock going toward the Blarney Stone." Or, in another case we might say, "Captain Jones's ship can be found by drawing a line from Plymouth Rock to the Blarney Stone, finding a point 700 miles along this line from Plymouth Rock, taking a left turn of 90° upon reaching this point from Plymouth Rock, and then traveling an additional 90 miles. If we have some good way of knowing compass directions, we can say something like, "Go three miles north of that big white rock over there and then go two miles east from that point. That is where I put the gold."
Q: How do you locate small objects such as electrons or photons?
A: It is much more difficult to locate an electron or photon than it is for larger objects. One way to locate them would be to construct a light source which only makes one photon at a time and aim it at photographic film; if very sensitive photographic film were used which could be darkened by only one photon then there would be a tiny speck on silver where it ended up. Another way would be to make it go through a small place; knowing when the light source sends out a photon and its speed allows us to know when it must be going through said hole in its path towards photographic film.
Q: What happens when photons are absorbed by electrons?
A: When photons are absorbed by electrons they give their energy to the electron and disappear. So when they are briefly at some definite place they immediately lose all motion.
