In: Psychology
How would a Rationalist, an Empiricist, a Cultural Relativist, and a Skeptic each probably answer this question: “How do scientists know that gold has an atomic number of 79?”
Note: This response is in UK English, please paste the response to MS Word and you should be able to spot discrepancies easily. You may elaborate the answer based on personal views or your classwork if necessary.
(Answer) Rationalist – Scientists know the atomic number of gold to be 79 because that is how many protons are present in the nucleus of the gold atom.
Empiricist – When scientists began their work on the detection of protons and electrons in the gold atom, they found conclusive data that there are 79 protons and 79 electrons in the gold atom.
Cultural Relativists – Scientists have worked hard to compile the periodic table over decades. If they have studied the gold atom and found that the atomic number is 79, then it must be true.
Skeptic – Since I do not have the tools to test the gold atom for myself at the moment, it cannot confirm that the scientists’ claim that the atomic number of gold is 79 is true.