Solving Everyday Problems with the Scientific Method: Thinking Like a Scientist

348 Pages·2016·5.23 MB·English

by  Don K Mak

Solving Everyday Problems
with the Scientific Method
Thinking Like a Scientist
SECOND EDITION

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Solving Everyday
Problems
with the
Scientific Method
SECOND EDITION
Don K Mak
Thinking Like a
Scientist Angela T Mak
Anthony B Mak

World Scientific
NEW JERSEY • LONDON • SINGAPORE • BEIJING • SHANGHAI • HONG KONG • TAIPEI • CHENNAI • TOKYO
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Published by
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
5 Toh Tuck Link, Singapore 596224
USA office: 27 Warren Street, Suite 401-402, Hackensack, NJ 07601
UK office: 57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9HE
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
SOLVING EVERYDAY PROBLEMS WITH THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Thinking Like a Scientist
Second Edition
Copyright © 2017 by World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval
system now known or to be invented, without written permission from the publisher.
For photocopying of material in this volume, please pay a copying fee through the Copyright Clearance
Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. In this case permission to photocopy
is not required from the publisher.

ISBN 978-981-3145-29-0
ISBN 978-981-3145-30-6 (pbk)
Desk Editor: Sandhya Venkatesh
Typeset by Stallion Press
Email: [email protected]
Printed in Singapore
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In memory of

My uncle, Mr. Mak Chung Lun, a kind-hearted
gentleman, who was separated from his wife after only a
few years of marriage +.

DKM

+ His observant mother, Ms Chow Chu, repeatedly cautioned him
not to marry his wife. Even on the night before his wedding, she
pleaded with him, “It is still not too late. I cannot stay with you for
the rest of your life. You are the one who will be living with your
spouse.”

Her scientific premonition proved to be true.

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Preface to the Second Edition

The first edition of this book was published in January 2009, and
quickly got onto the Publisher’s bestselling list. It was
subsequently translated into Korean, simplified Chinese (People’s
Republic of China), traditional Chinese (Taiwan), and Arabic.

The book has also received quite a number of reviews, with
both positive and negative comments. While the positive
comments can give someone a pat on the back and are encouraging,
the negative comments can be considered as thought-provoking —
prompting the authors to think and re-think their theses. Negative
comments, we believe, are better than no comments at all, as it
would imply that whatever is written is worth commenting upon to
begin with. This somewhat parallels what a physics professor once
said — that it is more important to publish a paper which is
incorrect but significant, than to publish a paper which is correct
but insignificant. Furthermore, negative comments would allow
the authors to correct, modify or even refute their theses — in the
true sense of the scientific spirit.

One of the most negative but most interesting comments
came from a reviewer (presumably a scientist) who wrote a three-
page review titled “The subtle myth” in the United States online
retailer Amazon.com. He primarily raised two objections:

(1) The Scientific Method does not exist — scientists do not think
along the line as described in the Scientific Method when they
do their research.

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(2) No one would benefit in solving everyday problems by using
the Scientific Method. As a matter of fact, their creativity can
be hampered.

It should first be noted that the key components of the
Scientific Method are observation, hypothesis, and experiment, but
not necessarily have to be in that order. By observation, we would
mean collecting information using all our five senses, and that
would include reading books, journals, etc., and discussing with
others. Hypothesis would mean coming up with an explanation, an
idea, a premise or a plan of action. The hypothesis needs to be
tested to see whether it works, or whether there is some truth in it.
The order of execution of these components is not that important,
and they can possibly happen at the same time. For example, one
would make observation during experimentation. Nor is it
necessary that all the elements have to be carried out. A
theoretician, in solving his theoretical problems, would not need to
“get his hands dirty” to do experiments. However, he does have to
come up with ideas or techniques how his problem can be solved,
and test whether some of the ideas can lead to his solution. As
such, he does do experiments in his own mind.

It is thus somewhat difficult to visualize that any scientists
doing serious science can do research without working along this
line of thought. They do not have to consciously think about the
Method, which probably should have been ingrained in their mind
as a second nature.

The significance and practical value of the Scientific
Method can be seen in areas like Traditional Chinese Medicine. In
the past, Chinese medicine practitioners made claims with hardly
any evidence to back them up. Now, evidence-based studies are
advocated and enthusiasts have applied scientific methodologies in
their pursuit for modernizing the ancient means of health
maintenance.
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With regards to the second objection of the reviewer, it
should be noted that people are born differently, and therefore
think differently. No medication is beneficial to 100% of the
population. If someone finds that they are allergic or have some
kind of adverse effect to certain medication, they, of course, should
stop taking it. By the same token, if someone finds that the
Scientific Method deters them from solving any problems, they
should try using other methods, or no method at all if that pleases
them. The choice is theirs. But that does not mean that everybody
should be told categorically not to use the Scientific Method, as
many people do benefit from employing it.

The suggestion that this book would be useful is backed by
some renowned scientists. Prof George B Kauffman, a chemist at
California State University, wrote: “This ingenious and
entertaining volume should be useful to anyone in the general
public interested in self-help books; undergraduate students
majoring in education or behavioral psychology; and graduates and
researchers interested in problem-solving, creativity, and scientific
research methodology.” Prof John Moffat, a physicist at
University of Toronto, also wrote: “The book was fun: a clever and
entertaining introduction to basic logical thinking and maths.”

A retired high school teacher wrote in the Science Study
Monthly (Taiwan) that teachers can employ the principles and
examples described in the book to help students apply integrative
thinking to open-ended questions, enhance the process of scientific
inquiry, and harness scientific knowledge to identify and explore
solutions to problems.

The book has been chosen as key reference in university
and high school courses.

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