Introduction to Science
Mr. Wagner

How to take Cornell Notes

• Science
• Observation
• Peer Review
• Experimentation
• Hypothesis
• Theory
• Prediction
• Law

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1. A way to explore the world
 Science is the body of knowledge based on the study of nature.
2. A way to explain things
 Explains processes in our world and universe through scientific inquiry.
3. The opposite of pseudoscience
 A science that tires to imitate “science” often driven by cultural or commercial goals.
What does the word inquiry mean to you?
How do you think that applies to science?

Expands Scientific Knowledge
• Most scientific fields are guided by research that results in a constant reevaluation of what is known.
• This reevaluation often leads to new knowledge that scientists then evaluate.

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• An observation is anything that is detected either through human senses or with instruments and measuring devices that extend human senses

• A possible answer to a scientific question
• Must be based on scientific knowledge, and it must be logical.
• Must be falsifiable.
• Can be tested by additional observation or experimentation

• a statement that tells what will happen under certain conditions. It can be expressed in the form: If A occurs, then B will happen
• The expected outcome of a test

• a special type of scientific investigation that is performed under controlled conditions, usually in a laboratory.
• Some experiments can be very simple, but even the simplest contribute important evidence that helped scientists better understand the natural world
• A planned procedure to test a hypothesis

 Scientific explanations combine what is already known with consistent evidence gathered from many observations and experiments.
 When enough evidence is gathered from different investigations to support an idea, that idea is called a theory.

• is a broad explanation for events that is widely accepted as true. To become a theory, a hypothesis must be tested over and over again, and it must be supported by a great deal of evidence
• an explanation of natural phenomenon supported by many observations over time.
• Ex: theory of relativity, theory of evolution, big bang theory, theory of gravity, cell theory

Challenges Accepted Theories
• Scientists welcome debate about one another’s ideas.
• Sciences advance by accommodating new information as it is discovered.

Questions Results
• Observations or data that are not consistent with current scientific understanding are of interest to scientists.
• These inconsistencies often lead to further investigations.

• Science-based information makes claims based on a large amount of data and observations obtained from unbiased investigations and carefully controlled experimentation.
• Conclusions are reached from the evidence.

Undergoes Peer Review
• Before it is made public, science-based information is reviewed by scientists’ peers.
• Peer review is a process by which the procedures used during an experiment and the results are evaluated by other scientists who are in the same field or who are conducting similar research.

 Explain a scientific theory in your own words or give an example of one.

• is a statement that describes what always happens under certain conditions in nature.
• It is often described in mathematical relationships. For example the general law of gravitation describes the force between objects of various masses at various distances
• A scientific theory , however, attempts to describe why something works. There are several theories of gravity, which attempt to explain why it occurs as it does.
• Ex: Law of gravity, law of segregation, law of independent assortment

 Explain a scientific law in your own words or give an example of one.

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Science is the body of knowledge based on the study of nature.
Science proves to be true through theories.
What is a theory?
 It relies on evidence, it is an explanation of a natural phenomena supported by many observations and experiments over time.
How do you know if a theory is true?
 1. Evidence
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2. Scientific Knowledge
3. Challenged
4. Question Results
5. Test Claims
6. Peer Review