Nature of Science Notes Nature of Science Nature

Nature of Science Notes

Nature of Science § Nature of Science – § Scientific should be reliable and always changing § Science is complex § No step-by-step method will always be the answer to a question § science relies on skills: § making inferences and observations, § asking questions § analyzing data § communicating to others.

Observations and Inferences § Observation – Using your senses or a tool to record an event, characteristic, or behavior § Example: § Inference – a logical conclusion drawn from available evidence and prior knowledge. They often develop from observations. § Example :

Effective Scientific Questioning § Scientific Question – § question based on observations § identifies something you would like to learn more about by experimentation/researching /survey. § Good scientific questions will: § Be testable through experimentation, survey or research § Be based on observations § Deal with the natural world § Be genuine, something we don’t already know the answer to § [It is NOT a scientific question if it: ] § Includes personal bias and opinion § Has to deal with morals and values § Deals with the supernatural § cannot be measured

Processes Used by Scientists § Ask a Question (state the problem) § questions come from observations § Example: When dropped from a height of 5 meters, will buttered toast land butter-side up or butter-side down more often? § Form a Hypothesis § Hypothesis – A detailed statement of what you expect the answer to your question to be § “Educated Guess”, prediction § Example: If dropped from a height of 5 meters, toast will land buttered side down 75% of the time.

Conducting Experiments § Test the Hypothesis § conduct experiments, make observations, and take surveys § Controlled Experiment – tests only one factor (variable) at a time § Variables: § Independent Variable – the factor that you change/manipulate § Dependent Variable – the factor that is being observed § Controlled Variables – the factors that remain the same/are NOT changed or manipulated § When testing the hypothesis, these are several things to consider: § Control Group (one) – nothing is tested; this acts as a baseline, i. e. what would happen in a normal situation § Experimental Groups (one or more) – variables are tested in these groups

Sample Experiment 3. Test the Hypothesis – Example of a Test § Experimental Scenario: Ms. Freeman and Ms. Dowd wanted to determine if there was a correlation between eating a nutritionally balanced breakfast and success on tests. One group of students was given a healthy breakfast and another group ate their normal breakfast before a test. They found that 7 out of 10 students who ate the healthy breakfast scored 80% or better on tests while 5 out of 10 students who ate their regular breakfast scored 80% or better on tests. § Identify the following from the above experimental scenario: § Independent Variable: __________________ § Dependent Variable: __________________ § Controlled Variables: __________________ § Control Group: ____________________ § Experimental Group: __________________

More Processes Used by Scientists § Analyze the Results § This is completed after all data from experiments has been collected § Tables and graphs are usually used in this step § Draw Conclusions § Do your results support your hypothesis? § Answer is YES repeat experiments or observations to verify results § Answer is NO check for errors; formulate a new hypothesis § Communicate Results § Communicate results through written or oral report