An Introduction to Science

What is Science? -Observing the World -Watching and listening -Recording observations -Experimenting -...

Physical Science Earth Science Life Science Types of Science

Physical Science… Physics- the study of matter and energy and the interactions between them Chemistry- the study of chemicals and how they combine Astronomy- the study of outer space

Earth Science… Geology- the study of the origin, development and structure of Earth Oceanology- the exploration and study of the ocean Paleontology- the science of the forms of life that existed in prehistoric or geologic periods Meteorology- science that deals with the atmosphere and its phenomena, like weather and climate Archeology- the study of ancient artifacts and remains

Life Science (Biology)… Ecology- the study of the environment Microbiology- the study of very small living things Zoology- the study of animals Genetics- the study of genes/DNA Botany- the study of plants

What is an experiment? Experiment = a Fair test, to see if changing something makes a difference

The Scientific MEthod Step One: Topic and Question/Problem Step Two: Hypothesis Step Three: Procedure and Controls (what stays the same and what changes) Step Four: Materials list Step Five: Test Step Six: Data Step Seven: Analysis and Conclusion Step Eight: Application

The Scientific MEthod Step One: Topic and Question/Problem -Pick a topic and question you want to answer. Make sure it is a question you can answer by doing a test

PICK a topic! Do ice cubes melt faster in warm or cold water? Does a heavy object fall faster than a lighter object? Does a cold ball bounce as well as a warm ball? Which is a better insulator, a foam cup or a paper one?

The Scientific MEthod Step Two: Hypothesis -Think about your question. What do you think the answer will be? -Make a prediction to answer your question -Your hypothesis should start with, “I think…” or, “I predict that…”

The Scientific MEthod Step Three A: Procedure -Design a fair test to answer your question -Write down how you will do the test here -Write it in the future tense, for example, “I will…” -Make sure you include all the steps

The Scientific MEthod Step Three B: Controls -Include your controlled variables: what will stay the same in your experiment? -Include your independent variables: what you will be changing in your experiment? -Include your dependent variables: what will you be measuring?

The Scientific MEthod Step Four: Materials -List everything that you need for your test

The Scientific MEthod Step Five: Test -List what you did in past tense, basically a report of what you did -Did everything go as planned?

The Scientific MEthod Step Six: Data -Chart your data and results of your experiment (there should be a chart, diagram or picture to clearly display the results)

The Scientific MEthod Step Seven: Analysis and Conclusion -Look at your data. Think about the data. -What does it show? -Was your guess (your hypothesis) right? -Can you explain the results? -Is there something that you could have done to make your test more fair?

The Scientific MEthod Step Eight: Application -How are your findings useful to the world? -Who can use the information?

Science: Questions to Ask What did you wonder about? What did you do? What did you keep the same? What did you change? What did you notice? What does it mean (the answer to your question)?

What is Science? A way to solve problems and answer questions; a way to understand the world we live in. The combined human effort to understand, or to understand better, the history of the world and how the natural world works. Science is asking questions, and finding the answers.