 Science starts with a question  Science a specific, methodical process of answering a question  Science can only answer questions about things that can be observed & measured

 Science starts with an observation  Then a question is asked based upon the observation  Next a hypothesis is formulated Example: notice male birds are more brightly colored than female birds Ask “why” Hypothesis: If females like bright males, then males that are brighter will have more offspring, because females choose them more often. Left side: How do you write a hypothesis?

1. Conduct an experiment to test the hypothesis 2. Collect data 3. Analyze data 4. Make a conclusion 5. Share results

 Test only one thing at a time: the variable (what changes) Independent variable: what the researcher controls (how much water a plant gets) Dependent variable: what changes as a result of the experiment (how tall the plant grows) Control variables: Keep as many things the same as possible (anything that can affect the results – sunlight, soil type, etc.)  Have a large sample size Left side: hypothesis is IF the independent variable has an effect THEN the dependent variable will respond in this way, write your own hypothesis why more male birds have bright colors

 Scientists can collect two types of data  Quantitative – factors that can be measured and represented with numbers.  Qualitative- factors that cannot be described with numbers Left side: Look at the picture of the plants. What is a quantitative trait that you could measured and a qualitative trait that you could described about these plants?

 Law – What happens  Theory- Why & how it happens For example- The law of gravity says larger objects pull smaller ones towards them. Einstein’s theory of Space-time explains why that happens. Left side How are you going to remember the difference between a hypothesis, Law, and theory?

 Mathematics - the “language” of Science  Models - used to represent things that are too large, too complex, or too small to study directly Left side Think of a model used in science not pictured here.

1. What are the first 2 steps in the scientific method? 2. What is the difference between a dependent and independent variable? 3. What is the format for writing a hypothesis?