Do. Now. Activity

1)What is science?
 2)How
do scientist investigate things?
* Your Do Now Activity Should be in section 1 in your binder notebook. Be sure to
write in complete sentences.
The Nature of
Science and The
Scientific Method
What is Science
SCIENCE IS…..



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a way in which answers related to
NATURAL events are proposed
a way in which people can learn and
UNDERSTAND events in the
NATURAL WORLD.
based on OBSERVABLE EVENTS
a study of the NATURAL WORLD
a method of DISCOVERY and
UNDERSTANDING by using a
PROBLEM SOLVING process called
the????
Steps to Solving a Problem
Steps to the Scientific Method
Steps to the
Scientific Method
1. Make an observation
 2. Form a hypothesis
 3. Test the hypothesis
 4. Collect, Organize and
Analyze the Data
 5. Draw Conclusions
 6. Communicate the results
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Step 1:

Observations
Observations based on
senses or tools
 Sight,

Smell, Touch etc.
Observations of natural
events usually raise a
question
 Why
did the water rise
when the candle went out?
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Two Types:
Objective observation
2. Subjective observation
1.
2 Types of Observations
Objective

an observation based on
fact
fact – a piece of information
that can be strictly defined
and proved true.
2 Types of Observations
Subjective

an observation based
on opinion
opinion – a statement that
expresses a belief, value,
or feeling
Objective or Subjective?
Science looks like fun today!
Subjective
Kanye West’s songs sound good!
Subjective
The counter-tops in class are black!
Objective
School French fries taste good!
Subjective
The summer was too short!
There are sixty seconds in a minute!
Subjective
Objective
Objective or Subjective?

Which type of observations should be
used in science?
Objective observations should be used in
science because they are based on facts
and the basis of science is to identify the
facts!
Step 2: Form
A Hypothesis

Based on your observation a
Hypothesis is formed that tries to
explain your observation or
answer your question
A
hypothesis tries to predict or
determine the outcome of your
experiment even before the
experiment is done
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Predictions usually stated in an “if …..
Then” statement. Ex: If I drop a rock
then it will fall down toward the ground
HYPOTHESIS MUST BE
TESTABLE!
Step 3: Test the
Hypothesis

Controlled Experiments are
used to test a hypothesis
 A controlled
experiment is an
experiment that tests only one
factor at a time by
 A variable
is a factor that changes
in a controlled experiment.
Variables are changed in the
Exp Group AND SERVE AS THE
FACTOR TESTED
Variables
things that can be
assigned or take on
different values in an
experiment
 any factor that can
change
 Two Types

1. Independent
2. Dependent
Two Types of Variables
Independent Variable
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the factor that you wish to test
the variable being changed in the
experiment
usually expressed after the word
“if” in the hypothesis
The cause in “cause and effect”
Example
The activity level (resting, walking,
running)
Two Types of Variables
Dependent Variable
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The variable being measured
usually expressed after the word
“then” in the hypothesis
The effect in “cause and effect
Think of as a number value always
Example
The person’s heart rate
How tall a plant grows
Identify the Variables
independent
variable
1.
If a student chooses to not study, then they
dependent
will earn a poor grade.
variable
independent
variable
2.
If you drink Gatorade before a soccer
dependent game,
variable
then you will score more goals.
independent
variable
3.
If you increase the mechanical advantage of
a pulley system used to move an object, then
the input force becomes less. dependent
variable
Control or
Control Group
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a group of subjects in an
experiment that are not given any
special treatment
something that is not manipulated/
changed
same as the experimental group in
every possible way, except for the
factor being tested
a point of reference for comparison
– it allows you to see what changing
a variable does by comparing it to
not changing anything.
Example
The resting heart rate represented the baseline
heart rate to which any increase in activity level
was compared to.
Constants
Factors in an experiment
(both in the experimental
and control groups) that
are kept the same and not
allowed to change
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Examples
1.
2.
3.
4.
One minute was consistently the
amount of time allotted to perform
the necessary activity
The type of activity performed
The stopwatch used during data
collection
The method used to measure the
heart rate
Variables are not
Changed in C.G.
One Variable Changed in
Each Exp. Group
Step 4:
Collect,
Organize &
Analyze Data

Data collected from
experiments
 Data
is defined as: recorded
observations or
measurements (qualitative =
description, quantitative =
number data)
 Based on observations
 Utilize tools or senses: sight,
smell, temperature change
etc.

Data is organized in tables,
charts and graphs so that it
can be more easily
analyzed
Step 5:
Draw
Conclusions
Scientists decide whether
the results of the
experiment support a
hypothesis.
 When the hypothesis is not
supported by the tests the
scientist must find another
explanation for what they
have observed

 NO
EXPERIMENT IS A
FAILURE: All experiments are
observations of real events
Step 6:
Communicate
the Results
Results must be
communicated in the form
of a written paper or
presentation
 Communication helps other
scientists performing the
same experiments to see if
the results of your
experiment are the same
as their results

 Helps
people see if results
are repeatable!

Theories
Theories are
explanations for some
phenomena based on
observation,
experimentation, and
reasoning.
 BASED
ON MANY
EXPERIMENTS
 Experiments that explain a
theory MUST be
repeatable
 You must be able to
predict from a theory
LAWS

Laws are summaries
of many experimental
results and
observations

Laws are not the
same as theories
because laws tell only
what happens, not
why it happens.
Differences