Investiture Achievement/Ranger/Nature Study

Standard Level

Requirement 1a

Read two articles from science that relate to the laws of nature.

God & Natural Law

Requirement 1b

Review the story of the Ten Commandments.

Requirement 1c

Perform three experiments, which demonstrate the natural laws of God (e.g. law of gravity, law of magnetism).

Given the requirement to perform experiments which demonstrate physical laws or laws of nature, the authors of this guide believe that the question should refer to "physical laws", "scientific laws", or "laws of nature" rather than "natural laws" which is a political-legal concept.

God created the universe and set the world in motion, and He set up the system with physical laws of nature.

Natural law, or the law of nature (Latin: lex naturalis), is a system of law that is purportedly determined by nature, and thus universal. The distinction between natural law in the political-legal sense and law of nature or physical law in the scientific sense is a modern one, both concepts being equally derived from physis, the Greek word (translated into Latin as natura) for nature.

A physical law or scientific law is, according to the Oxford English dictionary, "a theoretical principle deduced from particular facts, applicable to a defined group or class of phenomena, and expressible by the statement that a particular phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions be present." Physical laws are typically conclusions based on repeated scientific experiments and observations over many years and which have become accepted universally within the scientific community. The production of a summary description of our environment in the form of such laws is a fundamental aim of science.

Several general properties of physical laws (laws of nature) have been identified. Physical laws are:

• True, at least within their regime of validity. By definition, there have never been repeatable contradicting observations.
• Universal. They appear to apply everywhere in the universe.
• Simple. They are typically expressed in terms of a single mathematical equation.
• Absolute. Nothing in the universe appears to affect them.
• Stable. Unchanged since first discovered (although they may have been shown to be approximations of more accurate laws.)
• Omnipotent. Everything in the universe apparently must comply with them (according to observations).
• Generally conservative of quantity.
• Often expressions of existing homogeneities (symmetries) of space and time.
• Typically theoretically reversible in time (if non-quantum), although time itself is irreversible.

Physical laws are distinguished from scientific theories by their simplicity. Scientific theories are generally more complex than laws; they have many component parts, and are more likely to be changed as the body of available experimental data and analysis develops. This is because a physical law is a summary observation of strictly empirical matters, whereas a theory is a model that accounts for the observation, explains it, relates it to other observations, and makes testable predictions based upon it. Simply stated, while a law notes that something happens, a theory explains why and how something happens.

Enough of the theory - on to the FUN!

YouTube is your friend here as you can watch and replicate rather than just read about what to do. Some interesting and easy options:

SpanglerScienceTV has over 180 accessible Science Experiments including:

• Sink or Float
• Seven Layer Density
• Swinging Pendulum
• Do Not Open Simple and Fun!

Requirement 2

Lichens/Shells Make an “eternal garden.” OR Collect and identify 15 different shells and tell where they may be found.

Option 1:

Option 2: The collection of 15 shells goes a long way toward meeting the practical requirements of the Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Nature/Shells Shells Honor.

Shells Honor Requirement 10 states: "Make a collection of 20 different shells, classify them, and tell where each is found and when it came into your possession."

You can collect shells on beaches or buy them at craft stores. If buying them, it is cheaper to buy a variety pack rather than getting them individually. Once you have 20 different types of shells, you can begin the process of identifying them. For this you will need a field guide such as one of these:

• National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashells
• Seashells of North America: A Guide to Field Identification

You may be able to find a field guide at your local library too. You can also search for shell photos on the internet to make the identification.

Wilderness Ranger

Requirement 3

Complete Ranger requirements

Requirement 4

Insects/Wild Flowers Collect or obtain and mount 15 species of insects representing at least 6 different orders. OR Draw, photograph or collect pictures of 20 kinds of wild flowers and identify correctly.

Requirement 5

Complete a nature honor, not previously earned. (Skill level 2 or 3)