Why does science matter?

Nature follows a set of rules… If we learn the rules and how they affect us we can understand, predict and prepare for what is coming… – Earthquakes – Tornados – Etc.

3 Major categories of Science

1-Biology / Life Science the study of living organisms, – divided into many specialized fields that cover their morphology, physiology, anatomy, behavior, origin, and distribution

2- Earth Science Geology – the science that deals with the earth's physical structure and substance, its history, and the processes that act on it. Space Science

3- Physical Science Energy & Matter the sciences concerned with the study of inanimate natural objects, including physics, chemistry, astronomy, and related subjects.

These three categories overlap and intertwine when used, but can be separated into basic classifications (which makes it easier to learn and understand)

Science is always changing… There is always research being done to understand something or some concept better This means that there is ALWAYS more to learn!

Investigations… are what scientists preform to learn new information. Some involve observations and recording these observations Others involve experiments to test the effect of one thing on another

The Scientific Method The general pattern of investigation procedures 6 Steps Some steps can be repeated and may even be skipped as needed by the scientist.

Step 1- State the Problem Tell what you are going to investigate. Ask a how or why question.

Step 2 – Research Find out what is already known about the problem. Gather information from reliable resources.

Step 3- Form a Hypothesis A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a problem using what you know and what you observe. An educated guess about what is going to happen and why.

Step 4- Test the Hypothesis Some can be tested by making observations Some need to be tested with an experiment – An experiment tests the effect of one thing on another using a control.

Step 5- Analyze the data Recording observations and data and organizing it into graphs and tables that make sense for the information you have collected.

Step 6- Draw Conclusions Based on the data collected, decide if the hypothesis is supported. From here 2 things can happen…

Hypothesis is supported Repeat the experiment to make sure that you get the same results every time. You can do this by doing multiple trials at once.

Hypothesis is not supported The hypothesis may need to be reconsidered Or The experiment’s procedure may need to be refined/changed

Variables Variables are quantities that can have more than one single value. Any factor that might affect the experiment is a variable.

There are 4 types of variables…

1-Dependent Variable Changes according to the changes of the independent It depends on the other variables… It is an outcome

2- Independent Variable The variable that is changed to test the effect on the dependent variable

3- Constant A factor that does not change when other variables change

4- Control A standard by which the test results can be compared The control allows for a comparison to be made so you can analyze the data and form a conclusion about your experiment