Science In Action

1
Science In Action

• The fundamentals of doing science!

2
Thinking Like a Scientist

• There are 6 skills you need to acquire to become
  a scientist
• Observing
• Inferring
• Predicting
• Classifying
• Making Models
• Communicating

3
Observing

• Using your 5 senses to gather information about
  your world is observing (observations)
• There are 2 types of observations qualitative
  and quantitative
• Qualitative describes the observation EX It is a
  red rock.
• Quantitative describes how many or a measurement
  EX There are 6 rocks that are 2 cm large.

4
Inferring and Predicting

• When you explain or interpret an observation you
  are inferring
• When you make an inference about a future event
  based on current evidence or past experiences is
  a prediction

5
Classifying and Making Models

• Grouping together items based on similarities is
  classifying
• There are many ways to classify the same
  itemsjust pick a different characteristic
• Models are pictures, diagrams, or any other type
  of representation of an item
• Scientists make models to show concepts that are
  too large or too small to observe

6
Communicating

• Communicating is the process of sharing ideas and
  information with other people
• Problems that occur with communication is not
  using clear and precise language

7
Making Measurements

• To do science you must have a basic understanding
  of measuring
• We use metrics as our units in science class
• You are expected to know the following prefixes
• milli- (m) means 1/1000
• centi- (c) means 1/100
• kilo- (k) means 1000

8
Length

• Measures the distance between two points
• The unit for labeling length is meter (root word)
• The tool used to measure is a meterstick, ruler,
  or tape measure

9
Mass

• Mass is the amount of matter in an object
• The unit of measurement is gram (root word)
• The tool used to find mass is a triple beam
  balance

10
Volume

• Volume is the amount of space an object takes up
  The unit of measurement for volume is different
  depending on phase of matter
• Liquid or gas is liters (root word)
• Solids is centimeters cubed (cm3)
• The tool used to measure volume also depends on
  phase of matter
• Liquid or gas will use a graduated cylinder
• Solid either a ruler for a regular shaped object
  or a graduated cylinder for an irregular shaped
  object

11
Density

• Density is the mass per unit of volume. In other
  words how much matter for a given space
• The units of measurement are different based on
  phase of matter
• Liquids would be g/mL
• Solids would be g/cm3
• The tools used to find density are the same as
  for mass (triple beam balance) and volume (ruler
  or graduated cylinder)

12
Temperature

• Temperature is the measure of the motion of
  molecules
• The units for temperature is C
• The tool for measuring temperature is a
  thermometer