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in science and technology

have brought to continue, but
it also distrusts science because

it does not understand it. This
distrust is shown in the cartoon

character of the mad scientist,
working in his laboratory to

produce a Frankenstein. But
the public also has a great

interest in science, particularly
astronomy, as is shown by the

large audiences for television
series such as Cosmos and for

science fiction.

What can be done to harness this interest and give the public the scientific background
it needs to make informed decisions on subjects like acid rain, the greenhouse effect,

nuclear weapons and genetic engineering? Clearly, the basis must lie in what is taught
in schools. But, in schools, science is often presented in a dry and uninteresting manner.

Children learn it by rote to pass examinations, and they do not see its relevance

to the world around them. Moreover, science is often taught in terms of equations.
Although equations are a concise and accurate way of describing mathematical ideas,
they frighten most people. When I wrote a popular book recently, I was advised that

each equation I included would half the sales. I included one equation, Einstein’s famous

equation, E=mc . Maybe, I would have sold twice as many copies without it.
2
Scientists and engineers tend to express their ideas, in the form of equations,

because they need to know the precise values of quantities. But for the rest of us, a
qualitative grasp of scientific concepts is sufficient, and this can be conveyed by words

and diagrams, without the use of equations.

The science people learn in school can provide the basic framework. But the rate
of scientific progress is now so rapid, that there are always new developments that

have occurred since one was at school or university. I never learned about molecular
biology or transistors at school, but genetic engineering and computers are two of the

developments most likely to change the way we live, in the future. Popular books and

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