The Nature of Science
Chapter 1 Honors Earth
Science
Four major branches of
Earth Science
 Geology
 The study of the
origin, history, and
structure of matter on
a solid celestial body
 Meteorology
 The study of Earth’s
atmosphere
 Astronomy
 The study of the
universe
 Oceanography
 The study of the
ocean and seas
Earth’s system includes 4
spheres that interact
  The Atmosphere consists of the gases that surround the
Earth
  The Geosphere (also called lithosphere) consist of the rocks,
minerals, soils, ocean basins and Earth’s interior
  The Hydrosphere includes the water in oceans, rivers,
groundwater, clouds, lakes, ice caps and glaciers
  The Biosphere includes all things living or coming from living
things.
  Visualize Earth’s spheres:
http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/
visualizations/es0102/es0102page01.cfm?
chapter_no=visualization
Earth’s Sphere’s Interact
  An erupting volcano
releases lava, volcanic
bombs (geosphere) and
gases and ash into the
air (atmosphere), the
animals are suffocated
(biosphere), plants burn
up (biosphere), ash flows
fill rivers (hydrosphere).
http://volcano.und.edu/vwintl/vwintl.html
More interaction examples
  Plants and animals take
in oxygen from the
atmosphere and release
carbon dioxide.
  People remove plants,
release chemicals into
the air and water
Car exhaust. © NMM London
Spheres Continued
  Lithosphere = geosphere
  Rigid outer shell of the
planet, broken into
pieces called plates
 Includes the crust
and the outermost
mantle
  Earth’s Crust
  Continents
  made up mostly of
Granite
  Oceanic Crust
 Made up of mostly
Basalt which is cooled
magma, this is denser
than Granite
Next layer of mantle is
called the asthenosphere
 This layer is a
solid that flows
like a very thick
liquid.
 1600 degrees C
but extreme
pressure keeps
it solid
 The lithosphere
floats on the
asthenosphere
Earth’s layers
 Earths lower mantle is mostly very
dense, dark rock called peridotite
 Beneath the mantle is earth’s core
which is mostly made up of nickel
and iron.
 Outer liquid core
 Inner solid core
Steps used in Scientific
Method
 1- Identify the
problem
 2- Research
 3- State Hypothesis
 4- Experiment
 Select sample
 Determine variables
 Observe
 Record results
 5- Analysis of data
 6- Conclude
 Look at data and from conclusions
 Re-evaluate hypothesis
 Formulate new question
Experimentation
(See p. 930 Skills)
 Independent variables (also called
experimental variable)
 The factor that is manipulated by
experimenter to observe its effects
 Dependent variables
 Factor that can be changed if the
independent variable is changed
Examples
 If you are testing the effect of
adding specific amounts of
fertilizer to water on plant growth,
and you measure the plants daily…
 The independent variable is
________________
 The dependent variable is
__________________
Example 2
 If you are testing the effects
adding acid to water on the
breakdown of rocks and you weigh
the rocks daily…
 The independent variable is
________________
 The dependent variable is
__________________
Control Group
 Used to prove that the results of and
experiment are the actual results of a
condition
 What would be used for a control
group in the two examples?
 Control group Exp. 1 =
 Control group Exp. 2 =
Controlled Variables or
Constants
 What conditions would you need to
control in order to make these
valid experiments? (These are
called constants or controlled
variables)
 Why is this so important?
 Controlled variables for Exp. 1 =
 Controlled variables for Exp. 2 =
Hypothesis vs. Theory vs.
Law
 Hypothesis is an educated guess
based on observations of the
natural world.
 Research usually comes first
 Involves prediction (If, then)
 Includes explanation, not just a
wildguess
Theories
 Theories are explanations based on
many observations and repeated
experiments; has stood up to peer
review
 Can be revised or rejected as new
technologies provide new evidence
 Examples
 Theory of Plate Tectonics
 Theory of Evolution
 Germ Theory
Laws
 Laws describe the behavior of natural
phenomena
 Also called “rules of nature” because they
work every time but are not always fully
understood
 Ex. Law of Conservation of Energy
 Energy cannot be created or destroyed by
ordinary chemical means.
 Newton’s Law of motion
 A body in motion remains in motion unless
acted on by an outside force.
SI Units
 What does SI stand for?
 What are the SI units for:
 Length
 Mass
 Area
 Volume
 Density
 Weight
 Temperature
 SI units stands for system international
 Length meter m
 Mass
 kilograms
 Area
 Meters squared
 Centimeters squared
 Volume
 Cubic meters/cm, liters, or milliliters ml
 Density
 Grams per centimeter cubed
 Weight
 An average person weighs about 60 kg
=600N
 Temperature
 Celsius
 0- freezing 100- boiling