Section 1
Essential Questions Ch1 S1 What skills and attitudes do scientists use to learn about the world? 2. What is scientific inquiry? 3. How do scientific theories differ from scientific laws?
What is Science? Science Science is a way of learning about the natural world. Also, it is the knowledge gained through that process. As scientist seek to understand the natural world they use skills such as…
Use your senses to collect information
Attitudes or Habits of Mind Not only do scientists observe, infer, and predict but successful scientists also possess certain attitudes (also called Habits of Mind). What do you think they are?
A moment to reflect Why is curiosity important to a scientist? What is observing? What senses do you use in observing? What is inferring?
What Is Scientific Inquiry? Scientific inquiry refers to many ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence they gather. Scientific Inquiry can also be called the Scientific Method A brief clip to introduce the steps of scientific inquiry or scientific method.
Steps in the Scientific Method Scientific knowledge is gained by following systematic steps Scientific Method 1. Problem /Posing questions 2. Developing a hypothesis ( tentative or untested explanation/ educated guess/has to be able to be tested) 3. Designing and Conducting experiments 4. Collecting and Interpreting Data 5. Drawing Conclusions: Reexamining the hypothesis and accepting, modifying, or rejecting it based on data Once you start the process, you may need to go back to a step or rethink the order you need to go in.
Another important aspect of scientific inquiry Communicating: An important part of scientific inquiry is communicating the results. Which is sharing ideas and experimental findings with others through writing or speaking.
Terms related to an Experiment Controlled experiment- is an experiment that test the hypothesis under conditions established by the scientists. Variable- one of the factors that can change in an experiment Manipulated variable- is the variable the scientist changes Responding variable- is the variable that changes because of the manipulated variable ** By controlling variables, scientists can eliminate the effects of the other variables as factors in their results.
Reflect and Apply What is a variable? Suppose you are a scientist studying two types of crystals found on Earth’s surface: salt and borax. You are designing an experiment to determine whether salt or borax dissolves more quickly in water. (based on the definitions) What is your manipulated variable? What is your responding variable? What other variables would you need to control? Manipulated variable Salt and borax Responding variable Rate of dissolving
Theory A scientist’s goal is to develop concepts that explain their observations. These concepts are called scientific theories. Scientific theory is a well-tested scientific concept that explains a wide range of observations. An accepted theory has withstood repeated test. But if the tests fail to support a theory, scientists change the theory or abandon it.
Law When scientists repeatedly observe the same result in specific circumstances, they may arrive at a scientific law. Unlike a theory, a scientific law describes an observed pattern in nature but does not provide an explanation for it. A scientific law is a statement that describes what scientists expect to happen every time under a particular set of conditions.
Reflect What is a scientific theory? What is a scientific law?
Quiz If you explain or interpret something based on your experience, you are making a(n) _____________. a. Hypothesis b. Prediction Inference d. Scientific law A possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question is a _______________. Variable b. Scientific theory c. Prediction d. hypothesis
True/False In an experiment, the variable that the scientist changes is called the responding variable. 4. Fill in the missing steps of the scientific method. 1. 2. hypothesis 3. 4. Interpret Data 5.