1 / 13

Understanding the Science of Biology: Foundations and Methods

Chapter 1 explores the essence of science as an organized method of investigating the natural world. It highlights how biology collects, organizes, and interprets information to discover patterns and formulate testable hypotheses. The scientific method is outlined, detailing its stages: identifying problems, forming hypotheses, conducting controlled experiments, and analyzing results. Key variables, both independent and dependent, are explained, alongside the significance of qualitative and quantitative data. The chapter also discusses how scientific understanding evolves through continuous research and revision.

brasen
Download Presentation

Understanding the Science of Biology: Foundations and Methods

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Chapter 1 The Science of Biology What is Science?

  2. An organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world. (a way of investigating) • A body of knowledge built up over the years using this process. (information)

  3. Deals with the natural world. • Collects and organizes information – looking for patterns. • Proposes explanations that can be tested.

  4. Uses data to make inferences. • Inference is a logical interpretation based on prior knowledge or experience.

  5. Science is an ongoing process. • Scientific understanding is always changing. (technology advances) • New information revises our knowledge and advances our understanding. • The best knowledge we have at this point.

  6. How does science work? • Goal of science is to investigate, understand, explain and make useful predictions.

  7. Scientific Method(organized way of thinking) • Identify a Problem / ask a question • Form a Hypothesis • Perform a controlled Experiment • Record and Analyze Results • Draw a Conclusion • Publish Results / repeat

  8. Hypothesis • Hypothesis – a prediction of what will happen, written in the If..Then form, leads to an experiment • If..state the independent variable, (what you can manipulate ) • Then…state the dependent variable, (what will happen because the independent variable) If I do all my work, then I will pass biology

  9. Experimenting • Used to test the hypothesis • One variable is changed, all others are kept the same. • This type of experiment is a controlled experiment.

  10. Two Types of Variables: • Manipulated Variable (Independent Variable) –What is deliberately changed in an experiment. (What “I” change or control as the experimentor) • 2. Responding Variable (Dependent Variable) - changes in response to the manipulated variable. What you Record, the Results

  11. Record and analyze results • Quantitative Data – includes numbers, and is counted or measured. • Qualitative Data – is descriptive and cannot be counted.

  12. Results and Conclusions • The data is used to draw a conclusion. • When results are repeated they are published in scientific journals and used to support a “theory” • Theory – well tested explanation

  13. Redi, Needham, Spallanzani and Pasteur Biogenesis vs. Spontaneous Generation (examples of the scientific method)

More Related