1-1 What Is Science? Slide 1 of 21 Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall Thinking Like a Scientist: The...

1-1 What Is Science?

Slide 1 of 21

Copyright Pearson Prentice Hall

Thinking Like a Scientist:

The Scientific Method

is a series of steps scientist follow to investigate and understand the world around us.


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Make an observation

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Step 4

Step 5

Step 6

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Step 1: Observation of a problem/Ask a question


Example:

Today all is well.

Tomorrow you come into class and our fish is dead.

Our question?

Why did the fish died?

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Step 2: Do background research

What do we know about fish????



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Explaining and Interpreting Evidence

Step 3: Form a hypothesis.

A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a set of observations. It must be testable.

-know an “Educated Guess”

Why?

-educated because it is based on prior knowledge or you did some background research on the fish.

-a guess because it can be proven true or false.


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Explaining and Interpreting Evidence

A hypothesis must be proposed in a way that can be tested.

-it must be a statement

-it can not be a question

-If…………then……….. statement


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Form a hypothesis as to why our fish died:

Examples of a well formed hypothesis for our fish scenario:

If……………………. then………………



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Step 4: Test with experimentation

An experiment is the procedure used to test whether your hypothesis is correct or not.

There are two types of groups in an experiment:

1. One Control group2. One or more Experimental group

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The one control group


One or more Experimental group:

The experimental group(s) is the same as the control group, except for the one factor or variable that is being tested.

The variable is the factor that is being tested by the experiment.

is the setup in an experiment in which the setup is as close to normal conditions as possible/serves as a standard of comparison.


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Parts of an experiment:

Constants:

Variable:

Control group:

Experimental group(s):


Factors that are the same in all groups

The factor that is being tested in the experiment

The setup that is as close to normal conditions as possible

is the same as the control group, except for the one factor or variable that is being tested.


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-If more than one variable is tested it would be very difficult to determine why the results occurred.


-Scientist must control the conditions and variables of their experiments to get useful data.

Why:


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Our thoughts: The fish died because the temperature of the water was too hot.


Our hypothesis: If the water was too hotthen the fish would have died.


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Our controlled experiment will have four set ups

1 Control group (as close to normal conditions as possible for a goldfish)

and

3 Experimental groups (each identical to the control setup except for the one variable that is being tested).

Our experimental variable will be temperature.



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Our Control setup:

As close to normal conditions as possible;

room temp (22 degrees Celsius) , 1 of the same type of plants

3 gallons purified water , 50 grams of stones

3 fish (same age and type), .5 grams of food each day,

14 hours of light , pH of 7



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Our three Experimental Setups:

tank 1 tank 2 tank 3

12 degrees 32 degrees 42 degrees

In each tank: 3 gal purified water , 50 grams of stones

3 fish (same age and type), .5 grams of food each day,

14 hours of light , pH of 7 and 1 of the same type of plants


What is the only difference between the 3 groups?

Our experimental variable is TEMPERATURE


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If all the fish in experimental tank two and three died, what conclusion might you draw?


Our control group: Our three Experimental Setups:

tank 1 tank 2 tank 3

22 degrees 12 degrees 32 degrees 42 degrees

In each tank: 3 gal purified water , 50 grams of stones3 fish (same age and type), .5 grams of food each day,

14 hours of light , pH of 7,2 of the same type of plants


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Step 5: Collect data, analyze results and form a conclusion:

Scientist usually perform their experiments many times to be sure they get similar answers every time.

What is data?

is information collected during an experiment.


12 degrees 22 degrees 32 degrees 42 degrees

Fish 1 Slow movingSlow respiration rate 10 breaths/min

Faster movingFaster respiration rate32 breaths/min

Died after 30 min

Died after 1 min

Fish 2 Slow movingSlow respiration rate12 breaths /min

Faster movingFaster respiration rate 40 breaths/min

Died after 45 min

Died after 3 min

Fish 3 Slow movingSlow respiration rate15 breathes / min

Faster movingFaster respiration rate35 breaths /min

Died after 22 min

Died after 2 min.

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Hypothesis is not supported….go back to step 3.

(form a new hypothesis and experiment more)

If the hypothesis was supported

……proceed to step 6



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Step 6: Scientist must replicate their work and truthfully share their work and results by publishing/reporting their results.

-scientist must publish his/her results and procedures so others can replicate it.

-other scientist will perform the experiment to insure the results are correct.



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Scientific understanding is always changing.

Good scientists are skeptics who question both existing ideas and new hypotheses.

Therefore, nothing in science is absolute.

-constantly be updated

-things are constantly improving



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Example: What is this?


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Hypothesis: Educated guess / a proposed testable explanation of an event.

Scientific Law: Describes what happens

ScientificTheory: Explains why it happens

Examples: Cell theory, Theory of Evolution, Plate Tectonic Theory


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Being a good observer is the most important aspect of being a good scientist:

There are two types of observations that can be collected during an experiment:

-Quantitative observations

-Qualitative observations



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Quantitative observations:

•Root word?

Quantity

Quantitiative observations are:

• expressed with numbers

• obtained by counting or measuring.

• Example:

mass, volume, temperature, length



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Qualitative observations:

•Root word?

Quality


Qualitative observations are: -descriptive -involve characteristics that can’t easily be measured. -Obtained by using your senses.

-Examples: color, texture, smell


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Apples:


Quantitative observations:Qualitative observations:


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Homer Simpson notices that his shower is covered in a strange green slime. His friend Barney tells him that coconut juice will get rid of the green slime.

-Homer decides to check this out by spraying half of the shower with 10 ml of

coconut juice.

-He sprays the other half of the shower with 10 ml of water.

-After 3 days of "treatment" there is no change in the appearance of the green slime on either side of the shower.



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Your boss thinks that a special juice will increase the rate in which his employees work.

-He creates two groups of 50 workers.

-Each group is given the same task to perform.

-The task given to the workers is to staple a sets of papers.

-Group A is given the 50 ml of a special juice to drink while they work.

-Group B is not given the special juice, they are given 50 ml of water to drink..

-After an hour, your boss counts how many stacks of papers each group has made.

-Group A made 1,587 stacks

-Group B made 2,113 stacks


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