The course aims to discuss the knowledge evolution toward the modern Scientific Method of Research to allow the students to understand that the whole process (designing of experiment, statistics, and publishing of results) is actually the practical realization of the falsifiability process (due to Karl Popper) to distinguishing the scientific from the unscientific.
During the course the following topics will be discussed:
Part A (30 hours):
- The most important historical steps from Copernico and Keplero to Galilei and the “experimental method”.
- The figure of Karl Popper.
- Technical writing: how a scientific manuscript is organized.
- The use of International databases for research bibliography.
- Instruments for quantitative measurements.
- The meaning of the error.
- The concept of repeatability.
- Descriptive statistics.
- Null and alternative hypotheses.
- Student t Test, ANOVA for repeated measures.
- How to design an experiment?
- How to manage the confounding factors to avoid biases?
- Sampling techniques and signal analysis.
- Fourier transformation, signal spectra, and analog to digital sampling.
Part B (10 hours):
Exercise and Sport Sciences: peculiarities, advances and translations to the current field practice. A paramount of recent research methods based on a critical review of pivotal papers of the field.