Nature of Science – Unit 1
Notes Packet
Vocab Section 1
Key Ideas:
1. How do scientists explore the world?
2. How are the many types of science organized?
3. What are scientific theories, and how are they different from scientific laws?
4. What are scientific models and how are they used?
Vocabulary:
Science Law
Technology Theory
Model
What is science?
· ______
· Nature follows rules, and science is a method to understand those rules, and how and why they work.
· It is a process that uses observation (using your senses to gather information) and investigation to gain knowledge about events in nature
Science is not….
· ______
· Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but does not adhere to strict standards of science (e.g. controlledvariables, sample size, replicability, empirical and measurable evidence, and the concept of falsification). Example: ______
Why do we do science?
· When you have a question about something, how something works…how do you find the answer?
· Research, Perform experiments using careful, methodical study, observe, confirm.
Scientists perform experiments to:
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
4. ______
How science takes place…(draw the diagram)
Branches of Science
· Science: observing, studying and experimenting to find the nature of things.
· 2 main branches:
· Social science (individual and group behavior)
o Examples: ______
· Natural science (nature of the universe)
Draw diagram:
Branches of science work together
· Today, the branches of science have become more mixed.
· What do you call someone who studies the chemistry of living things?
o ______
· What do you call someone who studies the physics of the Earth?
o ______
What is the difference between science and technology?
· Pure science: ______
· Technology: ______
o Ex: Revelations in science have allowed computers that used to fill entire rooms to become smaller, faster, and cheaper computers.
Laws and Theories
Law: describes a process in nature that can be tested by repeated experiments; allows predictions to be made about how a system will behave under a wide range of conditions; ______
______
· ______
· Ex: if I place a hot cooking pot in a colder place, will the pot get hotter? No! It will always get cooler, because there is a scientific LAW that says warm objects will always become cooler when placed in cooler surroundings.
· ______
· Area of a rectangle: A = l*w
· Universal Gravitation: F = G m1*m2 / r2
Theory: explanation of how a natural process works; explains many related observations and is ______
______
· ______
· ______
· Can be added to or ______, if new evidence is validated and contradicts old theory
· Ex: In the cooking pot example, nothing explains WHY hot objects become cooler in cooler surroundings. This explanation must be provided by a scientific theory.
· Always being questioned and examined –______!!!!
· ______
· To be valid, theories must continue to pass a series of tests.
o Must explain observations clearly and consistently
o Experiments that illustrate the theory must be repeatable.
o You must be able to predict results from the theory.
Models
· Model: ______
· Why? Sometimes models represent things that are too big, too small, or too complex to study easily.
· Outcome of models depend on the information put into them.
· Some examples of models:
o ______
o ______
o ______
o ______
· What is an example of a model that you can think of? ______
Section 1 Review
1. Compare the two branches of physical science. ______
______
2. Explain how science and technology depend on each other and how they differ from each other.______
______
3. Define scientific law and give an example. ______
______
4. Compare a scientific law and a scientific theory.______
______
5. Explain why a scientific theory might be changed. ______
______
6. Describe how a scientific model is used and give an example of a scientific model. ______
______
Quiz next class!!
Key Ideas and Vocab - Section 2
Key Ideas:
1. How can I think and act like a scientist?
2. How can I design my own experiment?
3. How do scientists measure things?
Vocabulary:
Critical Thinking Scientific Methods
Length Variable
Mass Volume
Density Weight
Metric System
Science Skills
- Identify problems
- Plan experiments
- Record observations
- Report data
- Critical thinking – ask questions, make observations, use logic – large or small popcorn
- Creative thinking – to identify questions/problems, imagine and test solutions, be creative in the approach to solving problems
Scientific Method
· A general way to organize your thinking about questions
· A series of steps followed to solve problems
· 7 Basic Steps of the Scientific Method
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
4. ______
5. ______
6. ______
7. ______
Scientific Method
Step 1: Observation
· ______. Can also use tools such as previous research and computers.
Inference
· Inference: logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and past experiences. An explanation for an observation you have made.
· ______
· Usually has the word “______” in it.
Observation vs. Inference
· Observation: using the sense of sight and touch I observe that:
o The grass on the front lawn is wet.
· Why could it be wet?
· Possible Inferences
o ______
o ______
o ______
o ______
· All of these inferences could possibly explain why the grass is wet. They are all based on prior experiences. We have all seen rain, sprinklers, morning dew, and dogs going to the bathroom.
· Observation
o The Fire Alarm is going off.
· Why is this an observation?
· Make an inference: ______
Step 2: Ask a question / conduct research
· Ask a question: Based on your observation, what do you want to know.
· Conduct research: figure out what is already known about your problem.
· Example:
o Observation: My dog is a picky eater.
o Question: ______
o Research: conduct research (computer based, interviews, journals) about what picky dogs like to eat.
Step 3: Form a hypothesis
· A hypothesis is a prediction of what you think will happen, based on prior knowledge and the research you have conducted (usually an if / then statement)
· ______
· Example:
o Hypothesis: If I give my dog chicken flavored dog food, beef flavored dog food and duck flavored dog food, then she will eat the duck flavored dog food most of the time because research has shown that duck flavored dog food has a stronger smell.
· In your hypothesis, you MUST state why you believe that is what will happen.
Step 4: Test your hypothesis by doing a controlled experiment
· Materials – What do you need to conduct your experiment?
· Procedure – sketch / step by step instructions of how you conduct your experiment so it can be repeated
· What would your materials and procedures be for the dog experiment? ______
· In your experiment, you will have different variables.
· A variable is a factor that changes in an experiment in order to test a hypothesis
o Four different kinds of variables (factors)
§ ______
§ ______
§ ______
§ ______
· Variables that can affect the outcome of the experiment are kept constant, except the one(s) you want to measure. The more things you change at a time, the harder it is to make reliable conclusions.
Dog example:
Dependent variable? ______Constants?______
Independent variable? ______Control Group?______
Another example
- You might set up an experiment to determine which of three fertilizers helps plants to grow the biggest.
- Possible factors include plant type, amount of sunlight, amount of water, room temperature, type of soil, and type of fertilizer.
Variables
- In this experiment, the amount of growth is the dependent variable because its value changes according to the changes in the other variables. (You use a tool to measure it)
- The variable you change to see how it will affect the dependent variable is called the independent variable. What is the independent variable?______
Constants
- A factor that does not change when other variables change is called a constant.
- You might set up four trials, using the same soil and type of plant.
- Each plant is given the same amount of sunlight and water and is kept at the same temperature. These are constants.
Control:
- The fourth plant is not fertilized
- This plant is a control. A control is the standard by which the test results can be compared -- neutral point of reference for comparison
Constants and Controls
- Suppose that after several days, the three fertilized plants grow between 2 and 3 cm.
- If the unfertilized plant grows 1.5 cm, you might infer that the growth of the fertilized plants was due to the fertilizers. The control is the plant that was unfertilized.
Step 5: Collect Data/Results
- Need to organize data in a meaningful way.
- A table, excel spreadsheet, graph or database are examples.
- There are two different types of data, both of value
o Quantitative Data: ______
______
§ The tree is 20 feet and 7 inches tall.
§ The wind is blowing at 50 mph.
o Qualitative Data: ______
______
§ The tree is tall.
§ The wind is blowing hard.
- Write three of your own examples for each.
1. ______
2. ______
3. ______
Quantitative or Qualitative??
1. When the chemicals combined a gas formed. ______6. I am 5’ 7” tall:______
2. The ph remained neutral at 7.______7. It took 20 minutes to drive to school:______
3. 95 degrees Farenheit= ______8. Prarie dogs are very social creatures:______
4. The waves were big= ______9. I slept for 7 hours:______
5. The sky is blue = ______10. The blanket feels soft and fluffy:______
Step 6: Analyze and Draw Conclusions
- Based on the analysis of your data, you decide whether or not your hypothesis is supported.
- For the hypothesis to be considered valid and widely accepted, ______
______
- What if your hypothesis is wrong?
o Try again, revamp your procedure / experiment.
Step 7: Repeat the experiment
- To be valid, the results must be repeatable!
Being Objective
- A bias occurs when what the scientist expects, changes how the results are viewed.
- This expectation might cause a scientist to select a result from one trial over those from other trials.
- Scientists can lessen bias by running as many trials as possible and by keeping accurate notes of each observation made.
- Valid experiments must have data that are ______.
- The experiment must be ______.
- Findings are supportable when other scientists perform the same experiment and get the same results.
Recap: Scientific Method – how it works
1. Scientists observe nature, then develop or revise hypotheses about how things work.
2. The hypotheses are tested against evidence collected from observations and experiments.
3. Any hypothesis that correctly accounts for all of the evidence from the observations and experiments is a potentially correct theory.
4. A theory is continually tested by collecting new and different evidence. Even one piece of evidence that does not agree with a theory forces scientists to return to step one.
Scientists use special tools
· What would an astronomer use to study distant galaxies? ______
· Physicists use ______to make parts of atoms move very fast.
· Biologists use ______to study very small organisms and cells.
METRIC MANIA!!
Length, Mass and Volume
· How do scientists measure things?
· Math is the language of science.
· So everyone is on the same page, scientists use standard units of measure
· We use the SI (International System of Units) to be consistent all over the world.
· Example: if you drink 3 gallons of water per week, and your friend drinks 350 ounces, who drinks more water?
Some Base UnitsQuantity / Unit / Abbreviation
SI Prefixes
· Look at a ruler. How would you express the length of a bird’s egg, or the distance you travelled on a road trip in meters?
o Bird’s egg may be 5/10ths of a meter or .05m
o Road trip may be 800,000m
· To avoid long numbers and lots of decimals we use prefixes for small and large numbers.
· All prefixes are in multiples of 10
Prefixes for LARGE measurementsPrefix / Symbol / Meaning / Multiple of base unit
Prefixes for SMALL measurements
Prefix / Symbol / Meaning / Multiple of base unit
Converting SI Units
o The width of a soccer goal is 7m. What is the width of the goal in centimeters?
Length
· ______
· The SI base unit for length is the ______
· We use rulers or meter sticks to find the length of objects.
· Use a ruler to draw and label 2 cm on your paper.
Mass
· ______
· A golf ball and a ping pong ball are the same size, but the golf ball has a lot more matter in it. So the golf ball will have more mass.
· The SI unit for mass is the ______.
· A paper clip has a mass of about one gram.
· The mass of an object will not change unless we add or subtract matter from it.
Measuring Mass
· We will use a triple beam balance scale to measure mass.
· Gravity pulls equally on both sides of a balance scale, so you will get the same mass no matter what planet you are on.
Weight
· ______
· Your weight can change depending on the force of gravity. The gravity will change depending on the planet you are on.