6/3/2016 SCIENTIFIC METHOD PROCESSES OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

6/3/2016 WHAT DO YOU DO WITH AN OBSERVATION? n INDUCTIVE REASONING n DEDUCTIVE REASONING

6/3/2016 INDUCTIVE REASONING PROCESS OF GENERALIZING FROM SPECIFIC OBSERVATIONS

6/3/2016 EXAMPLE The average mass of cows in Vermont is 450kg therefore the average mass of all North American cows must be 450kg

6/3/2016 DEDUCTIVE REASONING n START W/ VALID GENERALIZATION n REASON FROM IT n ARRIVE AT SPECIFIC CONCLUSION

6/3/2016 EXAMPLE YOU DEDUCE THAT IF THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF AFRICAN LIONS IN THE WILD IS 10 YEARS THEN THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF LIONS IN KENYA IS 10 YEARS

6/3/2016 SCIENTISTS GO FURTHER - THEY TEST IDEAS WILL OBSERVATIONS MADE FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS SHOW THAT THE AVERAGE MASS OF COWS IS 450kg?

6/3/2016 STEPS TO SCIENTIFIC METHOD n MAKE OBSERVATIONS n FORM QUESTIONS BASED ON OBSERVATIONS n FORMULATE A HYPOTHESIS n TEST HYPOTHESIS - REPEAT TESTS n ANALYZE RESULTS n CONCLUSION

6/3/2016 IN SCIENCE THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTE TRUTHS IN SCIENCE THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTE TRUTHS AN IDEA IS CORRECT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF OBSERVATIONS & TESTS WHICH IT IS DERIVED

6/3/2016 n Set of ideas that form a general frame of reference for further study n Explanations have high probability of being valid n Evidence is so over- whelming that the explanation is further elevated n fundamental doctrine on which other concepts are based objectivity THEORY PRINCIPLE THEORY PRINCIPLE

6/3/2016 WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS? n A tentative explanation n To be scientific must be testable n Constructed to provide framework for stating the results of an experiment n Must be more specific than problem

6/3/2016 TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS n INDEPENDENT VARIABLE n DEPENDENT VARIABLE n CONTROLLED VARIABLE

6/3/2016 INDEPENDENT VARIABLE THE CONDITION OR EVENT UNDER STUDY

6/3/2016 DEPENDENT VARIABLE Variables that can possibly change because of the presence of or change in an independent variable (What is measured in an experiment)

6/3/2016 CONTROLLED VARIBLES (CONSTANTS) Conditions that could affect the outcome of an experiment but do not because they are held constant

6/3/2016 RANDOM SAMPLING Subjects are randomly assorted into either experimental group or control group (ensures both groups are representative samples of the original population)

6/3/2016 SAMPLING ERROR When a test group is not equivalent to a natural population, a sampling error is introduced to the experiment

6/3/2016 SYSTEMATIC ERROR n ERROR THAT OCCURS IN THE SAME DIRECTION EACH TIME AND IS ALWAYS EITHER TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW

6/3/2016 ORGANIZING TEST RESULTS n DATA TABLES n GRAPHS

6/3/2016 Example: Annual and Seasonal Black Bear home ranges in km 2.

6/3/2016 Comparison of annual and seasonal home range estimates

6/3/2016 Statistical tests determine if differences between experimental data and control data are significant or likely due only to chance.

6/3/2016 GENERALIZING FROM TEST RESULTS n Hypothesis is accepted or rejected on basis of conclusions drawn n Statement is written about new insights gained n Apparent trends are noted n Further problems and hypotheses are posed