
Key Concepts:
What skills do scientists
use to learn about the
world?
 What do physical
scientists study?

 (write the key concepts in
your ISN, but you don’t
need to leave space to
answer them)

Key Terms: (write these
with enough space for
you to define each term
in your ISN)








Science
Observing
Qualitative observation
Quantitative observation
Inferring
Predicting
Chemistry
Physics


Your textbook defines it as “a way of learning
about the natural world by gathering
information.” This is your first definition.
What does science look like?

How to scientists do “science”?
Scientists use the skills of observing, inferring
and predicting to learn more about the natural
world.
Some (but not all) of the skills used by scientists are:
 Observing

Qualitative vs. Quantitative observations
 Using your senses to obtain data


Inferring


Creating a possible explanation for something observed
Predicting

Making a “forecast” of what will happen in the future
based on past evidence



Deals with
descriptions
Data observed but
not measured
Colors, textures,
smells, tastes,
appearance, etc



Deals with numbers
Data can be
measured
Length, height, area,
volume, weight,
speed, time, temp.,
humidity, cost, ages,
etc.



A large(ish) painting
Blue colors with
swirls
Texture shows brush
strokes



29in x 36in
Weighs 8.5 pounds
Approx.125 years old




Robust
aroma
Brown
liquid
Strong
taste
Cup is
white
•
•
•
•
12 ounces
100 degrees
Cup is 7 inches in height
Cost 4.95

What qualitative observations can we make?




What color are the cabinets?
Is the room big or small?
Do most of the students have dark hair or light hair
or dark eyes or light eyes?
What quantitative observations can we make?



How many cabinets are there?
What are the dimensions (width x length) of the
room? (area of a rectangle)
How many windows are there?

For each image, write




Your description of the image
1 observation (could be qualitative or quantitative,
but they will probably be qualitative for these
particular slides)
1 inference
1 prediction of what will come next (has to be based
on what you have observed and inferred. Predictions
need to be useful and related to the information you
have.)

Physical science is the study of matter, energy, and
the changes they undergo. The two main areas are:
Chemistry is the study of the properties of matter and
how matter changes.
 Physics is the study of matter and energy and how they
interact.


Where do we see physical science?

Think: how do the following people use some knowledge
of physical science to complete their jobs?
 Photographers
 Piano tuners
 Firefighters


You need to be able to define the key terms
You need to understand observing, inferring,
predicting





Do you know how observations are made?
Do you know what an inference is?
Can you make good predictions when given
information?
You need to know the difference between
qualitative and quantitative observations
You need to know the two main branches of
physical science: physics and chemistry





What is using your senses to gather information
called?
How can you tell the difference between a
qualitative and a quantitative observation?
What are inferences based on? What can they lead
to?
What are the two main branches of physical
science?
Go over these ideas at home! With your friends!
While brushing your teeth! Between Bieber
concerts!