Discovery in science and in teaching science

A proper presentation of scientific discoveries may allow science teachers to eliminate certain myths about the nature of science, which originate from an uncertainty among scholars about what constitutes a discovery. It is shown that a disagreement on this matter originates from a confusion of the act of discovery with response to it. It is suggested to separate these two concepts and also to distinguish the 'scientific' response from the 'social' one. The analysis is based on historical examples, primarily from the history of optics. © 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.