BIOLOGY 1A
• What happens to a gummy bear
placed in water?
• Will changing the water
temperature affect how quickly
a gummy bear dissolves?
• What is your Hypothesis?
HYPOTHESIS
•
A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon.
• Like an educated guess
•
A hypothesis should be written as
• If ___ [I do this] then, ___ (this)___ will happen.
•
Example:
• If my students choose to break the rules, then they will have consequences.
•
How can you ensure a good hypothesis?
• Use Textbooks!
• In your notes, define the following terms:
• Hypothesis
• Inference
• Law
• Theory
• Principle
• Fact
• Observation
• Then use each word properly in a sentence or
paragraph. (OR song/rap/poem)
THEORY
• A theory is similar to a hypothesis but …
• Theory has experimental evidence to support it
• A hypothesis is an educated guess, without the
experimental evidence.
HOW DO WE TEST IT?
• What is this called?
– An Experiment : a scientific procedure undertaken to
make a discovery, test a hypothesis or demonstrate
a known fact.
– TIME TO TEST OUR GUMMY BEARS!
–What should we do during the experiment?
• How long did each gummy bear take to dissolve?
– What is this called?
– Data : facts and statistics collected together for reference or
analysis.
– Results: a consequence, effect or outcome of something.
– Always collect and record your data neatly.
• In this case our data was time and what else?
– (Hint: read the definition above)
OBSERVATION
• The action or process of observing something or someone
carefully or in order to gain information.
• Observations can lead to more questions, experiments
and results.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WHICH GUMMY
DISSOLVED FASTER?
• Was your hypothesis supported or refuted?
• What is this called?
• Drawing a conclusion
• Using what you have observed and learned from
evidence in the experiment.
• Often times when drawing a conclusion scientists will make an
inference.
• Inference: is a logical interpretation based on knowledge or
experience.
• Example:
• A researcher testing lake water
• Because they cannot test ALL of the lake water multiple samples
from various regions of the lake are taken.
• If all samples are clean enough to drink you can INFER that ALL
the lake water is clean enough.
• Can anyone think of an inference
that can be made from our gummy
bears?
REMEMBER
• Inference is NOT fact.
• A fact is something known, seen, or been
done
• Inference is based on the facts or
observations known
FROM FACT TO LAW
• When a statement of FACT is formed from an
observation and that particular natural or
scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain
conditions are present it is known as a LAW.
• Example
• Newton’s 3rd Law of motion
• “For every action there is an equal and
opposite reaction.”
PRINCIPLES OF SCIENCE
• Are not Laws of Science, but are always true.
• A principle describes a relationship that is
subject to change according to conditions.
• Example: Bernoulli’s Principle & Airplanes
• the pressure of a fluid (liquid or gas) decreases
as the speed increases
DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT PRINCIPLE WE
FOLLOWED IN OUR GUMMY BEAR EXPERIMENT
TODAY?
THE PRINCIPLES OF
• THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• Asking a question
• Forming a hypothesis (based on research or prior
knowledge)
• Designing a controlled experiment
• Recording and Analyzing results
• Drawing a conclusion
ERRORS?
• What could have be done differently?
• What could have been done to be more
accurate/precise?
• Did we ask the right question?
• Do we have any new questions based on the results?
• These are topics to be discussed in a conclusion
• What is another question we can ask and design
an experiment for using the materials you see on
this front table?
• Will a dismembered gummy bear affect how
quickly it grows or dissolves?
• Will the gummy bear dissolve faster in an acidic
solution?
• Carry out the steps of the Scientific
Method.
• Hypothesis?
• Independent Variable: a variable whose value does not
depend on that of another.
• Dependent Variable: a variable whose value depends on that
of another.
• Designing our experiment
• A scientist should always be thorough
• Experiments need to be explained in such detail that
someone who has never seen or done the
experiment before can re-create it and get the same
results.
• Recording and Analyzing
• Data is not just numerical, make notes on ALL
observations.
• Drawing a conclusion
• Use all the data collected to draw valid, logical
conclusions from the results.
• Find evidence that either supports or refutes the
hypothesis.
• A hypothesis is never proven TRUE or FALSE it
is only supported by evidence or not.
WHY IS SCIENCE IMPORTANT?
• The goal of science: To investigate and
understand the natural world, and to use
those explanations to make useful
predictions.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLES
• The scientific method is used unconsciously by many
people on a daily basis, for tasks such as..
• Trial and Error
• Auto repair
• Cooking
• Writing a story