1. Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
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2. Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Indiana Standards
NOS 8.3 Collect quantitative data with appropriate tools or technologies and use appropriate units to label numerical data.
NOS 8.10 Compare the results of an experiment with the prediction.
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3. What characterizes science?
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What characterizes science?
Science is the systematic study of natural events and conditions.
3 Types: Life science, Earth science, and Physical science.
Common Characteristics:
All scientists must share and discuss their results with others.
All scientific ideas must be testable and reproducible.
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4. 4 of 10
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Scientific evidence must be observable by all scientists. It must not be based on opinions or feelings.
Empirical evidence is observations, measurements, and data that scientists gather to support an explanation.
Scientists commonly use tools to collect data.
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5. What is a scientific explanation?
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is a scientific explanation?
They provide reasons for how a phenomenon occurs.
They are based on empirical evidence (testable).
Science cannot test explanations that have unsupported beliefs or opinions.
Scientists often start developing an explanation by examining all of the data and empirical evidence available.
Then, they logically develop a reasonable explanation.
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6. 6 of 10 Other scientists test the explanation for themselves.
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Other scientists test the explanation for themselves.
Scientific explanations must explain all
available evidence.
If new evidence is discovered, it is compared to the explanation.
If the explanation cannot explain the new evidence, the explanation may be modified.
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7. S C I E N How is a scientific explanation evaluated? 7 of 10
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science? S C I E N
How is a scientific explanation evaluated?
Study the empirical evidence. (Does it support the explanation?)
Decide if the explanation is logical and agrees with the other observations.
Identify tests that can be done to support the idea and evaluate the explanation.
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8. L O G I C A O B J E C T I V What is involved in scientific work?
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science? O B J E C T I V L O G I C A
What is involved in scientific work?
Scientists have some characteristics in common:
Make careful observations.
Be curious about the world and how it works.
Be creative.
Scientists are logical.
Scientists are skeptical.
Scientists are objective.
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9. How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?
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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is pseudoscience similar
to and different from science?
Pseudoscience is beliefs or practices that are mistakenly believed to be based on scientific principles.
Pseudoscience can look like science, but it is not science.
Both science and pseudoscience can address topics and claim to be supported by empirical evidence.
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10. Pseudoscientific claims can sound logical.
They may use technical language or
scientific-sounding terms.
Unlike science, pseudoscience does not use accepted scientific methods, such as testing.
The evidence supporting pseudoscientific claims may be vague, biased, or inaccurate.

11. 10 of 10
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Pseudoscientists may say that any claim that has not been proven false must be true. This is faulty logic.
Scientists offer evidence for their explanations. In contrast, pseudoscientists often ask skeptics to prove their claims false.
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