To Do Today (8/26):

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To Do Today (8/26)

• Glue Scientific Method Notes onto Page 6 of your
  spiral
• Answer Warm-up 2 on Page 4 of your spiral
• Update your Planner for this week (8/24-8/28)
• Any Graphing worksheets from yesterday to be
  turned in??
• Leave any papers/supplies to be turned in on your
  desk and I will collect later

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SCIENCE

• Defined as the use of evidence to construct
  testable explanations and predictions of natural
  phenomena

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SCIENCE, cont.

• Some questions are outside the realm of science
  because they deal with phenomena that are NOT
  scientifically testable
• Example Faith based philosophies
• Many questions can be explored through
  investigation and there are 3 types of
  investigation descriptive, comparative
  experimental

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3 Types of Investigations

• Descriptive
• Example count the number of owls living in a
  forest
• Comparative
• Example observe similarities differences
  between the wings of a butterfly the wings of a
  wasp
• Experimental
• Example apply different amounts of fertilizer
  to plants to explore how fertilizer levels affect
  plant growth

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What type of investigation is this?

• Examine the differences between leaves from a oak
  tree and leaves from a cedar tree

• Comparative

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What type of investigation is this?

• Over a three month time period observe the
  behavior of rhesus monkeys

• Descriptive

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What type of investigation is this?

• Test the affect of varying temperatures on the
  hatching rate of frog eggs

• Experimental

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For an experimental investigation, use.

• THE SIX STEPS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

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(1) Observe and State a Problem

• Asking a question

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(2) Form a Hypothesis

• Proposed explanation (If, then statement)

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(3) Test the Hypothesis (Design an experiment)

• Variables factors that can change
• 3 Categories of Variables
• 1. Manipulated Variable (independent variable)
  factor that scientists purposely change
• 2. Responding Variable (dependent variable)
  factor that may change because of the manipulated
  variable and that scientists want to observe
• 3. Controlled Variables factors that
  scientists purposely keep the same

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(3) Test the Hypothesis, cont.

• A controlled experiment is set up with a control
  group and the experimental group
• All the groups in an experiment are treated
  exactly the same except for the manipulated
  variable
• In the experimental group, the manipulated
  variable is being changed
• The control group is used as a standard of
  comparison (it may consist of objects that are
  not changed in any way or objects that are being
  treated in the usual way natural conditions)

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(4) Record and Analyze Results

• Data - written observations, charts graphs

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(4) Record and Analyze Results, cont.

• Observations can be quantitative OR qualitative
• Quantitative data involves measurement, like
  counting the number of owls observed
• Qualitative data uses words to describe the
  properties that were not measured, like noting
  that a bacterial colony growing in a petri dish
  was circular in shape orange in color

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(5) Form a Conclusion

• Evaluate the hypothesis (Do the results support
  the hypothesis?)

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(6) Repeat the Experiment

• Especially important for work to be published

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Extra Science Definitions

• Inference
• Reasonable conclusion based on observations and
  clues
• Prediction
• Guess about what will happen next based on
  observations and experiences can use data to
  predict trends
• Theory
• Well-established, reliable explanation that has
  been tested in many conditions by multiple
  people Example cell theory

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Fact vs. Theory

• When a hypothesis is tested and confirmed by
  scientists
• Can change as new data becomes available

• Something known to be true