The science I learned was this poorly presented body of knowledge that was introduced through a textbook and applied in confirmation based labs that are rarely applied to real world problems. Computational science investigates real world phenomena.
Most of the science I learned was through a textbook. I had a few Chemistry labs in high school, but very few of my experiences had real-world connections. The sky is the limit with computational science. One way I use it is to explore the solar system.
I remember learning about forces in motion in a physics class. Our teacher stood on a moving circular platform and held a bicycle wheel. Spinning the wheel causes the platform to move. This was an example of science in action. It is similar to computational science in that the effect could be replicated. It is different as it could be replicated many times with other variables such as weight or position. So this same experiment could be applied computationally with larger masses that would not be practical in real life.
I’m do like to have students use computer simulated models. There are a lot at https://phet.colorado.edu/
The only issue I have with simulations is that some are much better than others. Also, it is difficult to verify authenticity sometimes. In other words are the simulations based on real data.
In our water unit, we examine Dr. Snow’s work on mapping diseases during the cholera outbreak in 1850s London. Rather than wait until everyone is dead and mapping that data, we could simulate the spread of the disease.
I did very little hands on science when I was in middle school. In 8th grade we made model rockets and launched them. This was modeling one agent, compared to the modeling of many agents in a complex adaptive system using computational science. In computational science, we could model the effect of drone traffic on airplane travel, or of storms on drone work to provide food, water and supplies to people who need it.
There is not much similarity to the science I learned in school. Most of the science I was taught was theoretical.
Similar to the video, an experiment mapping fire behavior, followed with erosion and re-vegetation would be very applicable in my area.
it allows people to model complex activities that would be impossible in real world such as modeling the spread of virus. the similarities are that you are still using the scientific method
i agree most of the science we did in middle school and high school was from reading textbooks.
Computational science allows the students to apply real world concepts in a manner that would be difficult/impossible in a classroom setting. This would open new discussions and deepen the understanding of the student.
The science I was taught in school was not very interactive. I could see using computational science to see how certain toxic substances affect DNA in cells.
In traditional science, we looked at one variable in a single procedure. Computational Science allows students to look at the big picture and to look at multiple scenarios. It seems more interactive and more applicable to students daily lives.
Having just brushed up to Hurricane Matthews, I have a new and deeply profound love for computer models. These models do help us to be prepared for the storm!
Back in the day all science was in textbooks. When I was in school there were very few labs until high school. Then most of the experiments were not engaging. With computational science, it would be easier to design a hurricane proof home and test it under various conditions, which would be very difficult in the real world.