Observation vs Inference Starring Homer J Simpson Observation
Observation vs. Inference Starring Homer J. Simpson
Observation: when studying something describe only facts that you can see, touch, smell and hear. You are not making any guesses. THIS IS NOT AN OPINION!! Ohh… This liquid is green and it is leaking from a brown can. I also smell it.
Inference: using your observations to make a guess about an object or an outcome THIS CAN BE A SCIENTIFIC OPINION Based on my observations, I think that this can is old and is leaking a toxic substance.
Picture Practice • Please Make some observations and inferences about the following picture.
Graph Practice • Please Make some observations and inferences about the following picture.
Article Practice Sweat can stain your shirt and leave a lingering odor. If you were a hippo, things could be even worse: Your sweat would have a redorange color. Hippo sweat isn't really sweat because the glands that produce it are bigger and deeper than those that produce sweat in people and other animals. The liquid comes out of skin holes that are easy to see. This liquid may help a hot hippo cool down, but it's just as easy for a hippo to lumber into water to cool off. For the new study, keepers at the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo used gauze pads to collect secretions from hippos. Scientists then analyzed the liquid and identified two chemicals that color a hippo's sweat. Both are highly acidic compounds. In the lab, the researchers found that the sweat's red pigment keeps two types of disease-causing bacteria from growing. This may help explain why hippo gashes and wounds rarely seem to get infected, even though male hippos have frequent, fierce fights.
Identifying variables to design good investigations… There are 4 important parts of each experiment…
1. Independent Variable (experimental variable) – the variable the scientist changes, what they are testing out
2. Dependent Variable – what changes because of the independent variable, what they scientist measures – What is observed – The data collected during the investigation
3. Control Group – part of the experiment done without the independent variable, what “normally” happens, something to compare to 4. Constants – is something that doesn’t change in the experiment despite the independent variable
For example… Experiment: Students of different ages were given the same jigsaw puzzle to put together. They were timed to see how long it took to finish the puzzle. Indentify: - Independent Variable - Dependent Variable - Constant
For example… Experiment: A teacher wanted to see if eating hot cheetos would help students study better for a test. She randomly gave 25 of her 50 students a bag of hot cheetos to eat while they were studying and the other 25 were not given hot cheetos. The teacher compared the test results from each group. Indentify: - Independent Variable - Dependent Variable - Control Group - Constant
Lastly… there are 4 things that make up a good science question. • Good science questions are… 1) Testable 2) Measurable 3) Repeatable 4) Observable
Questions? !? Time for some independent practice.
- Slides: 14