Ch. 1 - The Nature of Science

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Ch. 1 - The Nature of Science

• Defining Science
• Problem-Solving
• Scientific Method
• Experimental Design

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A. Defining Science 1-1 p6

• Pure Science
• research that adds to the body of scientific
  knowledge
• has no practical (little everyday) use
• Applied Science (Technology)
• the practical application of scientific
  knowledge
• makes pure science practical

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A. Defining Science

• PURE
• human genetics
• polymer science
• atomic theory
• study of the human ear

• APPLIED
• curing disease, forensic science
• rubber, spandex, plastics, composites
• nuclear weapons, electrical power, MRI
• hearing aids, cochlear implants

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A. Defining Science

• Life Science
• the study of living organisms
• biology, AP, botany, microbiology, histology,
  zoology, entomology
• Earth Science
• the study of Earth and space
• geology, meteorology, astronomy, oceanography
• Physical Science
• the study of matter and energy
• chemistry and physics

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B. Problem-Solving 1-2 p10

• 1. Identify the problem.
• What do you know?
• What do you need to know?
• 2. Plan a strategy.
• Look for patterns.
• Break the problem into smaller steps.
• Develop a model.

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B. Problem-Solving

• 3. Execute your plan.
• 4. Evaluate your results.
• Did you solve the problem?
• Is your answer reasonable?
• Identify - Plan - Execute - Evaluate

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C. Scientific Method p16

• Hypothesis - testable prediction
• Theory - explanation of why
• based on many observations experimental results
• highest level of scientific explanation
• Scientific Law - prediction of what
• describes a pattern in nature

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C. Scientific Method

• Theories and laws are very well-accepted by
  scientists, but...

THEY ARE NOT SET IN STONE!
They are revised when new information is
discovered. Rely on specific scrutiny, logic
reason.
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C. Scientific Method

• 1. Determine the problem.
• 2. Form a hypothesis.
• 3. Test your hypothesis.
• 4. Analyze the results.
• 5. Draw conclusions.

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C. Scientific Method

• 3. Test your hypothesis.
• How could we test our hypothesis?
• 4. Analyze the results.
• What happened during our test?
• 5. Draw conclusions.
• Was our hypothesis correct?
• Is further testing necessary?

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D. Experimental Design

• Experiment - organized procedure for testing a
  hypothesis
• Key Components
• Control - standard for comparison
• Constants - experimental controls
• Single variable - keep other factors constant
• Repeated trials - for reliability

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D. Experimental Design

• Types of Variables
• Independent Variable
• adjusted by the experimenter
• what the experimenter varies, the focus of the
  experiment
• Dependent Variable
• changes in response to the independent variable
• what you measure for results

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D. Experimental Design

• Hypothesis
• Does Miracle Grow improve plant growth?
• Control
• Plant grown without Miracle Grow .

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D. Experimental Design

• Single variable
• Miracle Grow (a prescribed amount)
• Constants
• Soil
• Amount of water
• Sunlight exposure
• Location

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D. Experimental Design

• Independent Variable
• Miracle Grow
• Dependent Variable
• Measured plant growth

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D. Experimental Design

• As a table improve or change this design
• How could we modify or improve this experiment to
  be appropriate for EPS?
• Find the optimum amount of miracle grow for
  plant growth.
• Compare different plant fertilizers.

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Density Lab Heads Up

• Inquiry Experiment
• Design Experiment - Student developed procedure
• Must be approved
• Process over Product!
• Graphing