What is Science? Chapter 1.1

Curiosity: Where Science Begins

Discovery: Where Science Ends

Branches of Science Natural Science is divided into three branches: Physical Science Earth and Space Science Life Science (a.k.a. biology)

Natural Science Physical Science Earth & Space Science Life Science Physics Geology Botany Chemistry Astronomy Ecology Meteorology Genetics Oceanography Zoology

Scientific Method Chapter 1.2

Scientific Method a plan for gathering, organizing and communicating information. You have to have a plan!

Basic Steps in the Method 1. Make an observation Ex: A zookeeper notices that elephants become restless shortly before an earthquake.

2. Formulate a hypothesis An educated guess Must be testable! Ex: The zookeeper forms a hypothesis that, just before an earthquake occurs, an elephant detects a sound that humans are unable to hear.

Try steps 1 & 2 1. Make an observation 2. Formulate a hypothesis

3. Test your hypothesis by doing an experiment and collecting data. Ex: The zookeeper’s hypothesis could be tested by installing an instrument that can detect sounds that are too low or too high in frequency for humans to hear. Sounds detected by the instrument can then be compared to the elephant’s behavior and the timing of earthquakes.

Experiments have variables and controls Independent variable: the part of the experiment that the researcher changes. Dependent variable: the change that results from manipulation of the independent variable. Control: The part of the experiment where conditions are the same for the experimental group and another group.

Example: Independent variable Dependent variable

4. Analyze data & draw a conclusion Ex: The zookeeper kept the following data, recording the lowest frequency sounds and animal and human behavior for four days: Dec. 22 Dec. 23 Dec. 24 Dec. 25 1000 Hz 800 Hz 1000 Hz 20 Hz Elephants Calm Agitated Humans

Elephant example continued: Data gathered was compared to an elephant’s range of hearing and earthquake data for those four days. Range of hearing in Hertz The national earthquake center detected a large earthquake under the Indian Ocean on Dec. 25. Earthquake data:

So, in the elephant example, is the hypothesis correct? Conclusion: The data gathered supports the hypothesis. Low frequency sounds emitted by shifting earth can be detected by elephants, causing a change in their behavior.

5. Report Results: Publish When can findings be called a theory? Theories are supported by a large body of evidence. *(Notice the absence of the word “true”).

Measurement in Science Chapter 1.3

Scientific Notation 10000 = 1 x 104 24327 = 2.4327 x 104 1000 = 1 x 103 7354 = 7.354 x 103 100 = 1 x 102 482 = 4.82 x 102 10 = 1 x 101 89 = 8.9 x 101 (not usually done) 1 = 100 1/10 = 0.1 = 1 x 10-1 0.32 = 3.2 x 10-1 (not usually done) 1/100 = 0.01 = 1 x 10-2 0.053 = 5.3 x 10-2 1/1000 = 0.001 = 1 x 10-3 0.0078 = 7.8 x 10-3 1/10000 = 0.0001 = 1 x 10-4 0.00044 = 4.4 x 10-4 Makes very large or very small numbers easier to work with.

SI units of measurement SI Base Units Physical Quantity Name of Unit Symbol length meter m mass kilogram kg time second s temperature kelvin K electric current ampere D amount of substance mole mol luminous intensity candela cd SI (or international system) is built upon seven metric units (base units). Additional units, called derived units are made from combinations of base units. Some Common Derived Units Area square meter m² Volume meter cubed m³ Density kg per m³ kg/m³ Pressure kg/m²•s² Pa Energy kg•m²/s² J

Converting Measurements Dimensional Analysis: The skill of converting from one unit to another using a conversion factor. Ex: How many seconds are in a day? Work on practice handout.

Presenting Scientific Data Chapter 1.4

See handout for examples. Graph it! Three common types of graphs are: Bar: Pie: - Line: See handout for examples.

How might you graph the following? Graphing Practice Problem Time ( seconds ) Distance (meters) 0 0 1 2 2 8 3 18 4 32 5 50 6 72 7 98 8 128 9 162 10 200