Science!

What is Science?• The word science comes from the Latin

"scientia," meaning knowledge. • Science is the systematic and

organized inquiry into the natural world and its phenomena.

• Science seeks to gain a deeper and often useful understanding of our world.

• Science is useful in solving problems, though sometimes the solution to one problem creates another.

Scientific Discovery●Science is always changing and

advancing. Why?●Because every day scientists conduct

new experiments that discover things that had already existed but we had no knowledge of because we didn’t have the proper technology.

●As long as technology advances science will advance.

What is Technology?• Technology is the application (use) of

knowledge learned through scientific inquiry.

• Examples:– microscopes– telescopes– computers– machines– cars– synthetic fibers (i.e. nylon)– genetic engineering– cloning– nuclear Energy

Limitations of Science

•Science cannot provide answers to every question.

•Researcher Bias

The Question• In order for science to solve a problem

there must be variables that can be observed, measured and tested.

• Some questions do not have these measurable variables such as ethical/moral questions about what is good, bad, right or wrong.

• Science is NOT religion though they sometimes seek to answer similar questions…the quest for the answer is obtained in a totally different way.

Researcher Bias●Researcher have inherent biases or

personal opinions that could affect their observations.

●A researcher must therefore always be objective when conducting an experiment. In other words they must be open to all outcomes and willing to test for all of these outcomes.

Scientific Disciplines

Life Science• Biology • Ecology*• Biotechnolog

y*• Medicine• Microbiology*

Earth Science•Meteorology •Geology* •Oceanography* •Astronomy

Physical Science •Chemistry*•Physics

Social Science•Psychology•Sociology•Anthropology/Archaeology•Economics

-ology = study of

Theories • A theory is an explanation of commonly

observed natural phenomena based on scientific facts.

• Theories must be substantiated through multiple experiments.

• Science is limited by the available body of knowledge; for this reason theories are not concrete and can be and are often updated and/or changed completely.

• Examples: Big Bang Theory, Theory of Evolution, Germ Theory of Disease

Laws • When the observed phenomenon NEVER

FAILS the test, it becomes a law!• Unlike a theory, a law doesn’t attempt to

explain how something works, it simply describes a phenomenon.

• Laws are overwhelmingly substantiated and universally accepted as being true.

• Examples: Gravity, Newton’s Laws of Motion, The Doppler Effect, Keppler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

Scientific Method● The scientific method IS what makes

scientific inquiry systematic. ● It is a system or process of inquiry

that involves four primary stages:1)Prepare2)Plan3)Do4)Conclude and apply

Prepare• Identify the question you’d like to

answer.• Research previous work done on the

topic making sure that you will be able to make an educated guess at the outcome.

• Your educated guess will be known as your hypothesis.

Hypothesis• A hypothesis is an educated guess (a

prediction) about the outcome of an experiment.

• It MUST be TESTABLE! Meaning that you must be able to measure both variables.

• They are typically written as if/then statements:

If [I change this variable], then [this variable will do this].

Ex: If I raise the temperature of a cup of water, then the amount of sugar that can be dissolved in it will be increased.

Plan● Design an experiment to test the

hypothesis.● Identify:

– The independent variable (manipulated) is what the experimenter is changing.

– The dependent variable (responding) is the variable that is responding to the change the experimenter has made.

Control● A control group is maintained in which

no variables are changed. This demonstrates that a change has in fact occurred as a result of the change to the independent variable.

● All other variables in the experiment must be constant (the same) to insure that the response is due only to the change in the independent variable.Ex. same water source & quantity, sunlight exposure, space, temperature, etc

Do• Observe and record data that

result from running the experiment.

• Data tables keep the data organized.

• Quantitative data is favored in science because it has a concrete numerical value.

Ex: # of days, measurements• Qualitative data is more subjective, relative, and

usually descriptive in nature. Ex: subject 1 has a stronger odor than subject 2

Conclude and Apply• Analyze results

– What caused the result?• Draw conclusions

– What can we say about our experiment?• Did it work?

– Why?• Did it fail?

– Why? – What can we do next time to make it work?

• Experiments supply us with scientifically verified facts.

MeasurementsWhy do we measure things?•to duplicate the results of an experiment•to accurately make comparisons•they just make our lives easier!

Standardization• Measurements have been used by humans

nearly as long as humans have been anatomically modern.

• Standardization is a hallmark of civilization and has been handled in many different ways in the past.

• The use of a foot as a standard unit of measure is linked to the ancient Greeks. The only problem is… is everyone’s foot the same size? So is it truly standardized?

SI Units● The English solved this problem by using

specifically the king’s foot.● The French in 1790 took it a step further and

created a decimal (or base 10) system (like you use in math class) to simplify things.

● In 1960 scientists agreed to one International System of Units (abbreviated SI Units) which happens to be that creation of the French and which you know as the metric system.

Common MeasurementsThe things we measure most are:

•Length•Mass•Volume•Temperature•TimeAll measurements require 2 things:•A quantity (number)•A unit of measure

The Metric System• The metric system uses a system of

prefixes to describe numbers of various sizes.

• This helps with comparisons which is one of our main reasons for measuring things to begin with.

• Examples:– 1000 kilograms is A LOT (literally a ton) but 1000

grams is just 1 kilogram.– Aaron and Noah wanted to have a contest to see

which of their paper airplanes could fly the longest distance. Aaron's plane flew four meters. Noah's plane only flew seventy-nine centimeters. How much further did Aaron's plane fly?

ConversionsSometimes in order to compare two quantities you need to convert the units:KING

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Mass• Mass is the amount of matter (stuff) in an

object.• The base unit for measuring mass is the

gram*.• The measuring device is a balance.• One gram divided by 1000 is a milligram*.• 1000 grams is a Kilogram*.

Length• Length is the distance between 2 points.• The base unit for measuring length is the

meter*.• The measuring device is the meter stick or

ruler.• One meter divided by 100 is a centimeter*• One meter divided by 1000 is a millimeter*

•1000 meters is a Kilometer*

Volume• Volume is the amount of

space the object occupies.

• The base unit for measuring volume is the liter*.

• The measuring device is a graduated cylinder.

• One liter divided by 1000 is a milliliter*.