1. Observations vs Inferences

2. Inference An attempt to explain your observations.
The “likely” reason.

3. Tracks like these are common in parts of New England and in the southwestern United States.
What do you OBSERVE?
What can you INFER?

4. Now what do you think?

5. Infer what happened based on your observations

6. Inferences are made everyday.
false inferences

7. Observation
observations

8. How many legs does the elephant have?

9. What do you see?

10. What do you see? Hint: There are 3 images. An old lady A young woman
A man with a big brown mustache

11. They are the SAME length!
Take a very close look at the 2 vertical lines. Is one line is longer than the other?
They are the SAME length!

12. Which line is longer?

13. Do you see the face on Earth?
How about now?

14. Scientific Law vs. ScientificTheory
theory bite sized
A law states what happens.
Law of Gravity
A theory tries to explain why
or how something happens.
You can distinguish between a theory and a law by asking the question: Is the proposal measurable?
Yes, the statement is a law.
No, it is a theory.
Atomic Theory
Collision Theory of Reactions
Global Warming

15. Laws
A generalization, principle or relationship. (Ex.Law of Gravity, Law of planetary motion) Are generally considered to be discovered Relate cause and effect relationships broadly Laws of nature never change Specifically, scientific laws must be simple, true, universal, and absolute

16. Theory Serves as a framework to explain a set of experiments
Ex. Big Bang Theory
Are generally considered to be invented rather than discovered
Atomic Theory

17. Why Dinosaurs Disappeared
A theory…
Sun blocked
Dinosaurs
Earth
Meteor
Dust Cloud
Evidence…
Ice Age - Glaciers
RIP
Meteor Crater
Moon is formed

18. Difference
The biggest difference between a law and a theory is that a theory is much more complex and dynamic. A law describes a single action, whereas a theory explains an entire group of related phenomena

19. How are observations and inferences related to Laws and theories?