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Nature of Science/Scientific Method Unit 1. What Is Science?. The goal of science is to: investigate and understand the natural world explain events in the natural world use those explanations to make useful predictions
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WhatIs Science? • The goal of science is to: • investigate and understand the natural world • explain events in the natural world • use those explanations to make useful predictions • In short, science is an organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world.
Questions to Consider • How can we determine if something is fact or opinion? • How can we determine an answer to a problem? ANSWER… • THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD!
Step 1 • Ask a Question - define the problem - make sure only one problem is being studied based on your observation - observations are made by using your 5 senses touch taste smell sight hearing
Step 2 • Research the problem • use all available resources to collect data on the subject being covered. • Ex: library, internet, books, magazines, interviews, etc.
Step 5 • Develop a Hypothesis -- educated guess • make it a short and definitive statement • it should be in “If….” “Then….” format • the “if part” = the hypothesis • the “then part” = is what you think the results will be at the end of the controlled experiment. • hypothesis can be changed.
Step 4 • Develop a Controlled Experiment • contains only one experimental variable,known as the manipulated variable. I.E. the thing being tested • Everything else in the experiment or all other variables must be the same. • called constant variables • keeping these the same allows the experimenter to show that it was the experimental variable that caused the results.
Variables in a Controlled Experiment • Manipulated Variable: variable are testing; also independent variable • Control Set-Up: what you compare to, without manipulated variable • Responding Variable: variable you measure; dependent variable • Constant Variables: consistent between all trials
Step 5 • Record and analyze the data • the data may or may not support the hypothesis. • if the data proves the hypothesiswrong, change the hypothesis, not the data. • if the data supports the hypothesis, additional experimentation must then take place to build documentation concerning the problem.
Types of Data • Quantitative Data - expressed as numbers - obtained by counting or measuring - Ex: 50 ml, 800 km, 45 sec • Qualitative Data - descriptive - Ex: clear, spherical, smooth
Step 6 Draw A Conclusion - use the evidence to support or refute the hypothesis - a proven hypotheis must stand up to additional testing - scientists test (repeat each others investigations
Example: • Problem: Is Raid the best insecticide on the market? • Research: Look up information on insecticides– what are the active ingredients, how many insects will it kill, how much does it cost, etc, etc • Hypothesis: Raid is the best insecticide on the market. If used, then it will kill insects 30% faster than other insecticides.
Experiment: • Spray 5 plates with equal amounts of different insecticides. • Cover each one with the same type and size of glass. • Add equal amount of the same type of insects and place them side by side and time the results.
Collect data and analyze: This is done by writing down the # of insects that died or how fast they died and then organizing that information into a graph so you can better see what happened in the experiment. • Conclusion: This is done after the data from the experiment has been collected and analyzed. In this step you will find out if you were correct and Raid was the best or if your hypothesis was rejected!
