What Is Science?

1. What Is Science?

2. Learning Objectives • Describe the goals of science. • Explain the procedures that are at the core of scientific methodology. • Define what a scientific theory is.

3. The Nature of Science Science Uses evidence to construct testable explanations and predictions of natural phenomena Generates knowledge

4. Scientific Methodology: Observing and Asking Questions Scientific methodology is a general style of investigation, not a rigid step-by-step process.

5. Scientific Methodology: Inferring and Hypothesizing Why do marsh grasses grow to different heights in different places?

6. Scientific Methodology: Hypothesis Inference: a logical interpretation based on Hypothesis: a tentative scientific explanation that can be what scientists already know tested further

7. Scientific Methodology: Designing Controlled Experiments Testing hypotheses often involves designing experiments that measure factors that can change, or variables.

8. Scientific Methodology: Collecting Data data are numbers. data are descriptive. Quantitative Qualitative

9. Scientific Methodology: Analyzing Conclusions Data analysis in science often relies on the use of statistics.

10. Scientific Theories In science the word theory applies to a tested highly reliable scientific explanation of events in the natural world that unifies many repeated observations and incorporates durable, well-supported hypotheses that enable scientists to make accurate predictions.