The age of the Earth: the changing views of science

Learning objectives:

•

that scientists use evidence to determine the probable age of the Earth

•

that over time a range of different ideas has been put forward based upon different

observations

Timing: 20 minutes

Introduction:

Students often think that there is one correct answer to be found to any particular problem and that

there is no room for different interpretations of data. In addition they often do not consider the

degree of reliability afforded to different observations and the extent to which science can be certain

about the ideas put forward. Finally they rarely consider the social context and its influence upon

how scientists choose to interpret (or ignore) data. This was certainly true in the past and the story

of how the age of the Earth was determined illustrates this perfectly.

Pupils read the article The age of the Earth: the changing views of science and answer the questions

based upon it.

A second activity The age of the Earth: can you believe everything you read? is closely linked to this

one and could be tackled as an extension exercise. It illustrates how people with specific beliefs may

select or misinterpret scientific evidence to suit the hypothesis they are supporting. The final

message from this extension exercise is the extent to which pupils should be critical of information

found on the internet.