MODULE 1

Study Guide

MJ Comprehensive Science 3

1.02: WHAT IS AND IS NOT SCIENCEScience IS… Science IS NOT…~ A Body of Knowledge

Science includes all of the information that has ever been acquired.

Scientists use knowledge discovered before them as they attempt to acquire new knowledge.

~ What your grandma taught you

Many legends are actually pseudoscience and are not tested and proven by facts.

Just because the fortune cookie says you will get $100 tomorrow does not mean its facts!

~ A Process of gaining new knowledge

All new scientific information must go through a strict process.

This process is called the scientific method. We will learn about the scientific method in the next lesson.

~ Someone's beliefs or theories

A person’s thoughts or guesses are NOT science unless they are actually processed fully using the scientific method. This includes testing and retesting many times on different days!

EXAMPLES OF SCIENCE

Biology is the field of science that is dedicated to the study of living things. This includes all kinds of living things like plants, animals, bacteria, mold, fungus, and humans! Biology often involves chemistry.

Chemistry! AstronomyBiology

Chemistry is a science that includes the study of atoms, energy exchange, the reactions and interactions between elements and compounds, and the laws that describe these interactions. Other areas of science like biology and physics also involve chemistry.

Astronomy is the study of the cosmos. This includes the universe, stars, galaxies, black holes, planets, and more! Astronomy often includes other sciences like physics and chemistry.

PSEUDOSCIENCE(THE IS NOT OF SCIENCE)

Pseudoscience:Practice or belief that claims to be science but does not follow

the scientific method, peer reviews, and/or

experimentations

Did you know?...“Pseudo” means fake?

Examples of Pseudoscience:

Superstition- That feeling you will win!, Even if you never won before! You believe you will be lucky this time. Or… You will get bad luck if you break a mirror. Science can never prove that is actually true.

Astrology – The fortune cookies and the stars cannot tell you what your future holds, sorry. This is a method that cannot be proven by science. Guess you will just have to keep working hard and wait and see what the future holds

1.03: SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• The scientific method is the process that scientist follow in order to gather information and they draw conclusions from this information.

There are only 5 major steps!

1) Observe something is happening2) Create a question or hypothesis3) Complete an experiment

All experiments should have a variable and a constant

4) Analyze and Conclude your findings

5) Reset the experiment

STEPS TO THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

1.03 SCIENTIFIC METHOD

During an experiment you have to set up a variable and a constant. • Variables- are things that the scientist

purposefully change.• Constants are things that the scientist keeps

unchanged.

This allows the scientists to see what is actually changing and come to an appropriate conclusion.

To conduct a perfect

experiment you have to

control the

environment!

1.04: SCIENTIFIC LAW & THEORIESScientific Law… Scientific Theories- describes an observation

- attempts to explain an observation

- Cannot be changed or modified

- grounded in experimentation and evidence (which means they are always changing depending on the outcome)

- As new information is discovered, theories are changed to match so that they are still true.

Examples: - Gravity - Friction

Examples: - Big Bang Theory - Atomic Theory

It is important to remember that Scientific theories do not become laws. Theories are always changing and can never

be proven. Laws have always existed and just are.

1.05: THE METRIC SYSTEMThe metric system is important because:

It gives one standard measuring system for the world.

It makes conversions easy.

The metric system is a decimal system. Since there are no fractions, doing math with the decimal system is easier.

It provides a common measuring system for the world and it is very easy to use.

Airplane pilots from different

countries need to talk about the

same distance to avoid a crash.

Different parts of

machines manufactured

in different countries must fit

together.

Medical records for people must be in a measurement

that the rest of the world understands.

1.05 THE METRIC SYSTEMBelow are the Standard SI Unit of measure for each measurement type:

Myth! The Standard SI Unit of measure for Mass is Kilogram not gram!The prefix “kilo” is the unit size and “gram” is the base or “root” word not the standard unit of measure.

(m)

(N)

(Kg)

(L)

(K) (C) (F)

(lbs)

(ft)

(gal)

1.05 THE METRIC SYSTEM

How do you use the “ladder” method? 1st – Determine your starting point.

2nd – Count the “jumps” to your ending point.

3rd – Move the decimal the same number of jumps in the same direction.

Ladder Method

Larger unit = smaller number

Smaller unit = larger number

LET’S CONVERT IN METRICA great way to remember the system is:“King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk”

Remember B is the base! Like Liters, Meters, and grams

So let’s say we wanted to convert 5 cm to km. We would need to move the decimal left from Centi to Kilo

K H Da B D C M5. cm

0000 5 cm = .00005 km

Check out this video to see the conversions in action:http://screencast.com/t/2W8Dpr75MnK

Kilo Hecto Deca Base Deci Centi Milli

Example:

1.06: SCIENCE AND MODELSPhysical ModelsPhysical models help us to have a three dimensional view of a scientific idea. Think of them as a prototype for things we cannot see fully with the naked eye. • Examples:

Globe

Human Skeleton

Solar System

1.06 SCIENCE AND MODELS

Computer ModelsComputer models take lots of data and organize it in a way that aids in interpreting the data quickly and efficiently.

Simulators are important because they allowscientists to predict unknowns such as:• predict the weather of certain areas• predict the effects of things like global warming• predict where oil is located in the earth• aid in predicting extreme weather patterns.

These predications allow local authoritiesto issue evacuations, which save lives.

LET’S REVIEW MODULE 1Can you discuss the following:• The difference between science and pseudoscience• The scientific method• The difference between theories and laws• The metric system and metric conversions• How models are used in science• How science can be used to make decisions in our society

MODULE VOCABULARY WORDS• Atomic Theory • Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion• Law of Universal Gravitation • Law of Conservation of Mass• Theory of Evolution• The Big Bang Theory• Pseudoscience (with examples of)• Science (with examples of)• Scientific Method (with steps)• Constant• Variable• Scientific Theory• Scientific Law• Standard SI Units of measure (used with the metric system)• Scientific Model (physical and computer)