1. What is Science?

2. List 5 things in your notebook that come to mind when I say the word science.

3. Science Science is the way of learning about the natural world.
It is also the knowledge gained through different processes.
A scientist seeks to understand:
The natural world
Skills such as observing, inferring, and predicting
Successful scientists also possess certain attitudes, or habits of mind

4. Observing
What are some things that you look for when observing something?
Senses?
Sight
Hearing
Touch
Taste
Smell

5. Inferring
When you explain or interpret what you observe, that is an inference.
An inference doesn’t mean guessing, but is based on reasoning.
Where do you get that reasoning from?
Past Knowledge
Senses
Current or Previous Observations

6. Predicting
When a scientist makes an inference and it is correct, it can now be categorized as a prediction.
Predicting means making a forecast of what will happen in the future based on past experience or evidence.

7. Scientific Inquiry (Scientific Method)
This refers to the ways scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence.
Steps of the Scientific Method:
State the Problem
Form a Hypothesis
Create an Experiment
Observe the Experiment/Collect Data/Analyze Data
Make a Conclusion

9. Scientific Method (cont.)
What is a hypothesis?
A possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question.
What things are needed for a successful experiment?
Control Group
Variables
Independent and Dependent Variables

10. Independent vs. Dependent
Variable deliberately changed
Dependent
Variable that is observed and that changes in response to the independent variable

11. Data Data gives us an organized way to interpret the experiment
Types of Data
Observations
Graphs
Figures
Tables

12. Conclusion What happens if your hypothesis is correct?
Scientists will do the experiment many, many more times.
If it is proven over time and well-tested, it will be declared a scientific theory.
If the theory is concrete and will not change, it is then called a law.
What happens if the hypothesis is wrong?
Back to the drawing board!