SCIENTIFIC METHOD

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SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• Unit 1
• Chemistry
• Langley

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SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• DEFINITION
• Logical, systematic approach to problem solving
• STEP 1
• Identifying the problem
• STEP 2
• Creating a hypothesis
• STEP 3
• Test and Experiment
• STEP 4
• Analyze the data
• STEP 5
• Develop a conclusion
• STEP 6
• Communicate your findings

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STEP 1 PROBLEM

• Observations lead to questions
• Questions lead to the identification of the
  problem

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STEP 2 HYPOTHESIS

• Proposed explanation for an observation
• IS NOT a question
• Educated guess
• Must be a prediction
• Must be testable
• Can be ruled inaccurate or altered if its
  predictions are clearly and repeatedly proven
  false with experimental trials

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STEP 3 EXPERIMENT

• Organized procedure used to test a hypothesis
• 4 parts to an experiment
• Constant
• Control
• Independent variable
• Dependent variable

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STEPS 4/5 ANALYZE/CONCLUDE

• Look for patterns within the data
• 2 types of data qualitative and quantitative
• Presented in tables or graphs
• 3 types of graphs
• Line graph
• Bar graph
• Pie Chart
• Theorize why the observed pattern is so

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STEP 6 COMMUNICATE

• When scientists collaborate (work together) and
  communicate, they increase the likelihood of a
  successful outcome

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WHY STUDY CHEMISTRY

• Chemistry comes from alchemy
• Chemistry is the study of the composition of
  matter and the changes matter undergoes
• Chemistry provides logical explanations for
  observations
• Divided into 6 categories analytical,
  biochemistry, inorganic, organic, physical, and
  theoretical

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ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY

• Focuses on the composition of matter
• Identifies compounds and components
• Measurable Chemistry

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BIOCHEMISTRY

• Study of processes that take place in organisms
• Understand the structure of matter found in the
  human body and the chemical changes that occur in
  cells

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INORGANIC vs. ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

• Inorganic
• Study of all that does not include carbon
• Organic
• Study of chemicals/compounds that contain carbon

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PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY

• Area that deals with the mechanism, rate, and
  energy transfer that occurs when matter undergoes
  a change
• Study of properties and changes of matter and
  energy
• Study of the interaction between two elements

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THEORETICAL CHEMISTRY

• Design and prediction of new compounds and new
  ideas
• Pure Chemistry and Applied Chemistry
• Pure research on fundamental aspects of
  chemistry knowledge for its own sake
• Applied research that is directed toward a
  practical goal or application

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FACTS vs. CONCEPTS

• Fact
• An observation that has been confirmed repeatedly
  and is accepted as true
• A piece of information about circumstances that
  exist or events that have occurred
• Concept
• An abstract or general idea inferred or derived
  from specific instances
• Idea, thought, notion
• All facts can be concepts but all concepts need
  not be facts

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THEORY vs. LAW

• Theory is a well-tested explanation for a broad
  set of observations
• Can be altered or changed at any point, all that
  is needed is new experimental data or
  new/different observations
• Scientific Law is a concise statement that
  summarizes the results of many observations and
  experiments
• Tested many, many times and is always found to be
  true