CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In accordance with Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary the 5thEdition 1995, science can be defined as the study of the structure and behaviour of natural world and society especially through observation and experiment. Also Encyclopedia Americana (1982 vol. 24,page 385) defined it as the systematized, positive knowledge, or what has been taken as positive at different ages and in different places. In view of the above, science could be seen as the ascertained knowledge by observation and experiment, critically tested, systematized and brought under general principle.

According to Ugwu and Eze (2005), the term science is derived from Latin world “SCIRE” meaning to find out. It is a systematic study of nature with the aim of understanding better what the world is Baja and Okebukola (1984) Opined that science is a systematic study of nature through hypothesis, experiment, observations, careful reasoning’ making of valid conclusion and inference on the bases of analysis.

This understanding of nature is vital to the technologist who uses this knowledge to solve the human problems.The relevance of science as a requirement for technological advancement of any nation into developed, developing and under developed could only be measured accurately by the numbers of scientists that nation can boast off. In fact, science has profound impart in our daily lives. It covers the broad knowledge that deals with observable facts and the relationship among these facts.