New Core Curriculum Foundations of Scientific Process What is Science ? Week 1, class-2

Common Steps in Scientific Method are: 1)Observe some Aspect of Nature / Collect Data 2)Propose an explanation for what is observed 3)Use explanation to make predictions 4)Test predictions by doing further experimenting / observations / creating models 5)Modify explanations as needed (go so step 3) Science is concerned with investigating and making sense out of the environment and trying to predict future observations.

Common Steps in Scientific Method are: 1)Observe some Aspect of Nature / Collect Data 2)Propose an explanation for what is observed 3)Use explanation to make predictions 4)Test predictions by doing further experimenting / observations / creating models 5)Modify explanations as needed (go so step 3) Scientists generally accept the notion that an objective reality exists and that it can be “sampled” by making measurements that produce the data. Quantification + meaningful units Science is concerned with investigating and making sense out of the environment and trying to predict future observations.

Units is a well defined and agreed upon referent (given property in terms of another, more familiar object) English system Many units based upon parts of the human body Metric (SI) system Established in base units: meter (m) kilogram (kg) second (s) ampere (A) kelvin (K) mole (mol) candela (cd) all other units derive from these

Units is a well defined and agreed upon referent (given property in terms of another, more familiar object) Units and Unit Conversions English system Many units based upon parts of the human body Metric (SI) system Established in base units: meter (m) kilogram (kg) second (s) ampere (A) kelvin (K) mole (mol) candela (cd) all other units derive from these The metric/US customary units mix-up in 1999  $125 million Mar Climate Orbiter was lost !

All measurements include uncertainty or “error” Systematic Error: is a bias in your measurement method; systematic shift of the mean (average) in one direction or another Random Error: is due to “random” perturbations in your measurement; intrinsic variability that comes from taking independent measurements

Color Contrast Green and orange same on blue and yellow background Science is in a search for an objective view / understanding of the world of the world

Color Contrast Green and orange same on blue and yellow background

TEST How can you convince yourself?

Common Steps in Scientific Method are: 1)Observe some Aspect of Nature / Collect Data 2)Propose an explanation for what is observed 3)Use explanation to make predictions 4)Test predictions by doing further experimenting / observations / creating models 5)Modify explanations as needed (go so step 3) After collecting the data, explanations/interpretations can come from combination of obtained data with imaginative thinking or educated guessing Hypothesis  a tentative thought-derived or experiment-derived explanation + prediction Science is concerned with investigating and making sense out of the environment and trying to predict future observations.

Common Steps in Scientific Method are: 1)Observe some Aspect of Nature / Collect Data 2)Propose an explanation for what is observed 3)Use explanation to make predictions 4)Test predictions by doing further experimenting / observations / creating models 5)Modify explanations as needed (go so step 3) Experiment that represents a re-creation of an event or occurrence, enables to support or disprove a hypothesis. Controlled experiment compares 2 situations that have all the influencing factors identical, except one (experimental variable). Science is concerned with investigating and making sense out of the environment and trying to predict future observations.

Common Steps in Scientific Method are: 1)Observe some Aspect of Nature / Collect Data 2)Propose an explanation for what is observed 3)Use explanation to make predictions 4)Test predictions by doing further experimenting / observations / creating models 5)Modify explanations as needed (go so step 3) Science  a given investigation typically “fuels” a new investigation Science is concerned with investigating and making sense out of the environment and trying to predict future observations.

Ex. Protons and Neutrons  The Atomic Nucleus Ernest Rutherford, 1911 Bombardment of gold foil with α particles (helium atoms minus their electrons) –Expected to see the particles pass through the foil –Found that some of the alpha particles were deflected by the foil –Led to the discovery of a region of heavy mass at the center of the atom

Models  Why are models useful in practicing science? Models provide a conceptual framework for interpreting the data we collect. They help understand what is happening in the otherwise to us invisible world. Models are human constructs that attempt to incorporate the essential ingredients of a natural process or system and to make predictions about future behavior

New Core Curriculum Foundations of Scientific Process Theories and Scientific Laws Science vs. Pseudoscience Next time  Week 2