1. Science is a way of exploring and explaining the natural world using a process designed to reduce errors. It consists of various disciplines that study either physical phenomena like physics and chemistry or living organisms like biology.
2. The scientific method involves making observations, asking questions, developing hypotheses, making predictions, testing predictions through experiments, analyzing results, and peer reviewing findings. It allows scientific understanding to advance through evaluation and dissemination of information.
3. Scientific theories are hypotheses that have been rigorously tested and accepted as generally correct, but cannot be proven absolutely. Laws summarize scientific facts about nature. The body of scientific knowledge is stable but open to improvement through testing.
13. 3. MULTIPLE HYPOTHESES What are all the possible answers (hypotheses) to the question? Example: The light bulb is burned out Example 2: ?
14. 4. PREDICTIONS What data would support a particular hypothesis (= expected data) and/or what data would refute the hypothesis? Example: The light bulb will rattle when shaken
15. 5. TESTS (Experiments) Conduct tests to collect actual data? Example: Shake the light bulb and record sound
16. 6. TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS Which hypotheses were supported (not refuted) by the actual data? Write up report (introduction, methods, results, discussion) for publication
17. 7. PEER REVIEW & PUBLICATION Submit your report to a scientific journal that is peer-reviewed, meaning that your methods, data, tentative conclusions will be scrutinized by scientists whose reputation is at stake if they allow your report to be published. Publication leads to creation of scientific information
30. Science Technology Technology = the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.
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39. EXPERIMENT 1 QUESTION : Are mealworms attracted to light? mealworm QUESTION 2 : Are mealworms affected by moisture? Answer? You can’t tell; it could be either or both
40. EXPERIMENT 2 QUESTION : Are mealworms affected by light? QUESTION 2 : Are mealworms affected by moisture? Answers? They are affected by light; we don’t know about moisture
41. EXPERIMENT 3 QUESTION : Are mealworms affected by light? QUESTION 2 : Are mealworms affected by moisture? Answers? With just this experiment, it seems they didn’t move
42. EXPERIMENT 3 QUESTION : Are mealworms affected by light? QUESTION 2 : Are mealworms affected by moisture? Using the information from the other 2 experiments… Answers? Yes and Yes (despite attraction to light, they avoided wet
43. THE EXPERIMENTS 1 2 3 QUESTION: Which variables affect mealworm movement based on the above experiments (note that movement may be either toward or away from something)? A . Light but not moisture. B . Moisture but not light. C . Both light and moisture. D . Neither light nor moisture. E . Can’t tell. mealworm Without the controlled experiment we would know nothing!