Key Concepts…
What is Science???
What are the main branches of science???
What is Physical Science???
I. What is Science?
A. Def – a system of knowledge and the methods used to
find knowledge.
*Science begins with curiosity and often ends with
discovery*
B. Science and Technology
1. Shatter-proof glass
2. Technology
a. Def – use of knowledge to solve practical
problems
b. What was the “science” in shatter-proof glass?
c. What was the “technology”?
*Technology and science go hand in hand!
d. Ex: electricity led to…computers, tv’s,
cell phones, etc.
II. Branches of Science
A. 3 Branches…
1. Physical Science (non-living)
physics and chemistry
2. Life Science (living)
botany (plants) and ecology
(animals)
3. Earth and Space Science (history
and origin)
geology and astronomy
*All assignments must
have this general setup*
Name
Class Period
wks 1.1
1. Define the term “science”.
2. How is science different than technology? Do they
work together?
3. What are the 3 branches of natural science and list
two areas from each branch?
4. Is the study of the muscle movements in the human
body an example of biology or physics? Explain.
“The Scientific Method”
Key Concepts…
What is the goal of the scientific method?
How does law differ from theory?
Why are models useful?
I. What is the Scientific Method? (Ex. Pg. 8)
A. An organized plan used to help solve a problem.
B. The General Idea…
Observations
Form a
Hypothesis
Test
Hypothesis
Draw
Conclusions
Develop a
Theory
-Use your senses. Walking in the rain gets you wet…
-Possible answer to a question. The faster your speed in
the rain the drier you will be…
-Run a controlled experiment. Manipulated Variable-what
you change (speed of person in rain). Constants = what
stays the same? Only one variable should be changed.
-Measure the data accurately. Use the data to answer your
hypothesis. Running clothes = less water. Walking clothes
= more water.
-A well tested explanation for a set of observations
Running in the rain gets you less wet than walking.
II. Theories vs. Laws
A. Theory – an explanation based on
observations and supported by data.
1. ex: Big Bang Theory, Creation
Theory, Kinetic Theory of Matter, Atomic
Theory of Matter…
2. Can be revised, discarded, or replaced
by a new theory with new knowledge.
3. Theory explain why…
B. Scientific Law – Is a rule of nature
1. ex: Gravity, Friction, Death…
2. Does not explain why or try to answer.
3. Ex. Gravity – objects fall towards the
earth.
III. Why use a model?
A. Make it easier to understand
difficult concepts.
B. Ex.
1. What is the goal of the scientific method?
2. How does a law differ from theory? Give an
example of both a law and a theory.
3. Why are models useful?
4. A group of students wanted to find out how
running affects your pulse rate. What would
your hypothesis be? What would the
responding variable be in this case?
“Measurement”
Key Concepts…
What is scientific notation???
What units do scientists use for their
measurements???
What is the SI System and how do we use it???
Activity (5-7 min)
1.
Use a pen/pencil and measure the length
of the table you are sitting at.
2.
Record your measurement
3.
Repeat using a different pen/pencil
4.
Record your measurement
Think…Why are your measurements different
from each other???
I. Using Scientific Notation
A. A way of expressing a number as a value
and a power of 10.
1. Why use it???
-easy to use large/small numbers
4.0 x 108
2. Ex. 400,000,000 
3. Ex. 35,300 
3.53 x 104
4.56 x 10-5
4. Ex. 0.0000456 
0.00458
5. Ex. 4.58 x 10-3 
II. Standards of Measurements
A. Standard – an exact quantity that people
agree on.
1. Ex: a
= 12 inches
2. a mile = 5280 feet
III. Different Systems
A. English System – feet, gallons, cups,
inches…
1. U.S. only country to use it.
B. SI System
1. 1960 by the French
2. Used worldwide
3. Based on powers of 10
Giga
Mega
Kilo
Hecto
Deka
Base
Deci
Centi
Milli
Micro
Nano
 1091,000,000,000
 106
1,000,000
 103
1,000
 102
100
 101
10
 100
1
 10-1
0.1
 10-2
0.01
 10-3
0.001
 10-6
0.000001
 10-9
0.000000001
1. Convert 1.0 m to dm?
 10 decimeters
2. A road is 1000 m in length. What is this in km?
 1 kilometer
3. A small new planet is found 3 light years away
from Earth. If the diameter of this planet is
23,500 meters, how many kilometers is its
diameter?
 23.5 kilometers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
2.3 mm  cm
4.05 km  meters
5.7 micrometer  mm
10.01 Mm  km
0.0003 hm  mm
1,234,567 micrometers  Mm
1.34 x 103 deciliters  liters
“How to Use the S.I. System”
mg
Prefix
milli
Unit measured
gram
A. Def – the distance between 2 points
1. base unit = meter
2. Examples
a. meter, millimeter, hectometer
Convert:
a. 5.0032 meters  cm
= 500.32 cm
b. .0034 km  mm
= 3400 mm
c. 4567 dm  decameters
= 45.67 decameters
A. Def. – the amount of space occupied
1. formula: length X width X height
2. base unit = liter (liquids); meter
(solids)
a. **1 cm3 = 1 ml**
3. solids are always cubed (cm3, m3)
4. for liquids, use container dimensions
to calculate volume
5. is a derived unit which means it is
obtained by combining SI units
A liquid is poured into a container. If the
dimensions of the container are 45 cm, 54 cm,
and 80 cm what is the volume of the liquid in
ml?
 194,400 ml
The sides of a box are 45 cm, 54 cm, and 0.4 dm.
What is the volume of the box in cm3?
 9,720 cm3
A. Def. – the amount of matter in an object
1. base unit = gram
2. kilograms is used frequently
3. ex: golf ball vs. table tennis
ball
Convert:
a. 54 g  kg
.054 kg
b. 3.002 kg  mg
3,002,000 mg
A. Def. – Mass per unit of volume
1. formula: density = mass / volume
2. derived unit of mass and volume
What is the density of an unknown metal that has
a mass of 178.0 grams and a volume of 20.0
mL?
***Remember D=M/V***
 8.9 grams/mL
Will this object float in water??? (1.0 g/ml)
A. Def. – Time is the interval between two
events.
1. Base unit = second
B. Def. – Temperature is the amount of heat
contained in a substance
1. Base unit = Kelvin/Celsius
a. Celsius Scale – used for most scientific work
i. 0 = freezing point of water
ii. 100 = boiling point of water
iii. 20 = room temperature
iv. 37 = body temperature
b. Kelvin scale
i. 0 on the Kelvin Scale is absolute zero (-273
C.)
ii. to convert Celsius to Kelvin add 273 K
iii. to convert Kelvin to Celsius subtract 273 K
The outside temperature is 29 degrees Celsius.
What is it in Kelvin?
 302 Kelvin
A person has a temperature of 313 Kelvin. Does
this person have a fever?
 yes; the body temp is 40 deg C.
“Graphing”
Key Concepts…
Why and how do we
organize data?
A. Visual aid – helps us imagine what our data
looks like.
B. Shows what is going on.
C. Compare information
D. Makes it easier to understand
Average Central Lyon Test
Scores
Avg. Test Scores
A. Line Graph
1. Useful for
showing changes
2. Shows
“connectedness”
3. Used with “time”
frequently.
90
85
80
75
1970
1980
1990
Time Period
2000
Dependent variable
Avg. Test Scores
Average Central Lyon Test
Scores
90
85
80
75
1970
1980
1990
Time Period
Independent variable
2000
Direct – As one set of
values increases so does
the other value.
Indirect – As one set of
values decrease the other
value increases.
Central Lyon Test Scores
Test Score
100
90
80
70
60
2nd
3rd
6th
7th
8th
Class Period
Test #1
Test #2
Test #3
Test #4
 6th period = 90 points
Temperature of Central Lyon Rooms
# of Rooms
B. Bar Graph
1. Used to compare
information
2. bars not
connected
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
18 deg C
19 deg C
20 deg C
Temperature (C)
21 deg C
What is the most
popular
temperature?
18 C
What is the least
popular
temperature?
20 C
How many rooms
were tested at
Central Lyon?
13 rooms
C. Circle / Pie Graph
1. Used to show
different parts of a
whole. (100%)
2. Great visual tool
3. Can be misleading
Physical Science Quiz #1 Results
17%
17%
0-60
61-70
13%
71-80
81-90
25%
91-100
28%
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Title
Labels – x and y axis
Legend / Key
Always make the graph colorful!
Try to use computers if possible
A survey shows that, in your neighborhood; 75
people ride the bus; 45 drive their own cars; 25
people use a moped; and 5 people walk to
school.
Make three different graphs to visually display
this information.
Remember to include title, legend, and any other
important information. Use colored pencils or
markers.
“Running an Experiment”
I. Controlled Experiment
A. Def – organized way to test a
hypothesis.
1. Only one variable may be
changed
–standard for comparison
–only thing that is different
–variable changed = control
B. Constants
1. Def - Factors that are the same
2. Ex: brand, microwave, # of
kernels
C. Should be repeated several times
D. Draw Conclusions
II. Variables
A. Ind. Variable / manipulated variable
1. Def – Factor adjusted by the
experimenter.
2. Ex: Storage of popcorn before it was
popped.
B. Dep. Variable / Responding variable
1. Response to the Ind. Variable
2. Ex: # of kernels popped
***The dependent variable depends on the
independent variable***
Variable = something that can be changed in an
experiment
# of kernels
=
# of kernels
Freshness
=
Freshness
Brand
=
Brand
Microwave
=
Microwave
Time cooked
=
Time cooked
Storage (room temp) = Storage (In freezer)
*What is the manipulated Variable?
 storage temperature