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Las Vegas and the Scientific Method
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Jon L. Holmes
Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715 |
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This issue is out of print. |
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I have just returned from the ACS National Meeting in Las Vegas and the clank of the coins in the slot trays is still ringing in my ears! Never having been to Las Vegas before, I was looking forward to the spectacle and curious about the gambling. It did not take long to see that Las Vegas had mastered the science of parting fools from their money. The first thing I noticed was how loud the sound of coins hitting the trays in the slot machines is. When money is paid out they want everyone to know. Another thing I noticed is that money is evident, but no where to be seen. (Except for coins. In Las Vegas, nickels and quarters are not considered money.) Whenever money is displayed it is immediately converted into play money, chips or tokens. As I was to find later, one is much more apt to place a five dollar chip on the table than a five dollar bill. As it was my first time in Las Vegas, I was apprehensive about beginning to gamble Las Vegas style. I did plenty of observing the first two nights, but no betting. Games I thought I understood had many nuances that I did not understand. By the third day I had established what games I would play and converted some money into Las Vegas play money. Twenty minutes later, the play money exhausted, I decided to try a different game next time. The following two nights, I fared much better, managing to be entertained for an hour without exhausting my play money. I left Las Vegas with a much clearer understanding of how so many large motels and casinos are financed. As I look back on my approach to gambling in Las Vegas, I see that I applied scientific methods. I had implicitly posed a problem. I researched the existing data. I formulated a hypothesis. I tested the hypothesis. I revised the hypothesis taking into account new data that I had collected. I devised a theory based upon my experiences. The feelings of anticipation and curiosity and apprehension and anxiety accompany every studentÕs first entry into a chemistry classroom or laboratory. The problems they encounter there are best solved using scientific methodology. A great many of the problems they will encounter later in life can be confronted in a similar manner. If there is but one skill introductory students can take away from their first science course I think it should be the ability to apply scientific methods to the many of lifeÕs problems that lend themselves to these methods. As we strive to connect what the student learns in chemistry to the ÒrealÓ world of the student, we should not overlook the more general applicability of the methods we use to solve problems. The venerable Lake Study (1Ð3), an update of which appears in this issue, provides an excellent introduction to the methods of science as applied to chemistry. It presents a reasonable question: What is killing the fish in the lake? In the library there is extensive literature on what kills fish from which a hypothesis can be drawn. Quantitative information about the concentrations of lethal substances present in the lake can be obtained using the analytical techniques of titration, spectroscopy, and chromatography. Results of this analysis are used to narrow the possible causes and adjust the hypothesis, but do not provide a definitive answer. Further definitive testing collecting both quantitative and qualitative data is used to determine the reason that the fish are dying. In addition to introducing the methods of science, Lake Study also shows that application of these methods occurs over a period of time and that during this period there may not be a definitive answer. Science is a human endeavor where there exist not only black and white, but many shades of gray in between. Lake Study is used in the General Chemistry program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the first week of laboratory. It serves as an excellent introduction not only to the scientific method but also to the computer and Windows 95 and the computer laboratory. It has proven to be a rugged performer having been used by over 10,000 students. Now the Lake Study experience has been enhanced with better graphics. The other application in this issue, Enzyme Lab, uses the computer to introduce procedures and concepts in enzyme kinetics. Used as a preparatory laboratory exercise, it can help alleviate some of the apprehension and anxiety that accompany a new experiment. It also can serve as a good source of data to use to practice the calculation of the kinetic parameters of an enzyme reaction. Now if only I had introduced myself to Las Vegas slots using a computer simulation before performing the actual experiment, I would have been better prepared with some knowledge about just how fast a fool can be parted from his money.
Literature Cited
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Last Updated: April 26, 2001 Created: November 21, 1997 |
Created by: N. S. Gettys Comments to: jceonline@chem.wisc.edu |
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| © 1997 Division of Chemical Education, Inc., American Chemical Society. All rights reserved. | |