Unit One: Scientific Method & Philosophy of Science

1. Unit One: Scientific Method & Philosophy of Science

3. Question 1 - 10 • Alexis and Brandon are trying to determine what type of wood termites prefer. They set out Oak, Walnut, and Maple logs. They then record which logs the termites spend the most time consuming. • What is the independent variable and dependent variable?

4. Answer 1 – 10 • Independent variable –the type of wood. • Dependent variable- the time they spend on each log.

5. Question 1 - 20 • A scientist records the calls of 5 male Bullfrogs of different sizes. He then plays the recording of the frogs so that females have the chance to make there way towards the speaker. He writes down the number of female frogs that were attracted to the call. He does this 4 more times for each size frog. • What was the independent and dependent variable?

6. Answer 1 – 20 • Independent – The size of the male frog • Dependent- the number of females that were attracted to each call.

7. Question 1 - 30 • Noah and Stacia want to see how temperature effects the rate of crickets chirps. They record the number of cricket chirps over 30 seconds. Then they decrease the temperature 5o C and count the chirps again. • What is the independent variable and the dependent variable?

8. Answer 1 – 30 • Independent variable- the different temperatures • Dependent Variable- the different number of chirps over 30 seconds

9. Question 1 - 40 • Jordan and Kaleb want to determine which type of sugar will cause the most growth for yeast (a type of fungus). They grow it in the presence of raw sugar, splenda, and honey. She then measures the average growth of yeast that each sugar type produces. • What are the independent and dependent variable?

10. Answer 1 – 40 • Independent variable- the type of sugar • Dependent Variable- the average growth of yeast.

11. Question 1 - 50 • Naria wants to determine if bats do use their ears to find food. She designs an experiment where she places bats in a room with lights on and in a room where lights are off. She then tallies the number of moths that the bats are able to eat in each level of light. • What is the independent and dependent variable?

12. Answer 1 – 50 • Independent Variable- the rooms with different levels of light. • Dependent Variable- the number of moths that the bats catch

13. Question 2 - 10 • Science is a field that attempts to prove things.

14. Answer 2 – 10 • False • Science is a field that attempts to better explain the world and universe with explanations that are based in nature. You should always be cautious when people claim to have “proved something” scientifically.

15. Question 2 - 20 • Scientists can believe in God or gods and still do good science

16. Answer 2 – 20 • True • Many great scientists have been religious. However, their science is not an effort to prove that supernatural causes

17. Question 2 - 30 • Scientists often try to challenge the findings of their peers. • True or False

18. Answer 2 – 30 • True • When scientists are able to demonstrate that a particular way to explain something in nature is outdated or very unlikely they stand a good chance at becoming quite famous. This is skepticism- when people challenge explanations that are not supported by data.

19. Question 2 - 40 • Science will always be empirical

20. Answer 2 – 40 • True • Science only tests natural things which are all measureable.

21. Question 2 - 50 • Something that is proved scientifically is absolute and therefore no longer subject to change

22. Answer 2 – 50 • False • In science all conclusions about nature are tentative. This means that they are the best possible explanation for the given time, but if new information becomes available they may change.

23. Question 3 - 10 • ___________ data describes the physical attributes of a subject…. • __________ data describes a measurement of that data…

24. Answer 3 – 10 • Qualitativedata describes the physical attributes of a subject…. • Quantitative data describes a measurement of that data…

25. Question 3 - 20 • There are 4457.1 mg of marbles in a cup. How many Kilograms is that equal to?

26. Answer 3 – 20 • O.0044571

27. Question 3 - 30 • If you were to measure the length of a pen what unit would you use?

28. Answer 3 – 30 • Centimeters

29. Question 3 - 40 • If you need to use a scale to weigh a termite what unit would you record your findings in?

30. Answer 3 – 40 • Milligrams

31. Question 3 - 50 • You have 9000.0 milligrams of gold. If each gram is worth 88 dollars how much money would you be able to get?

32. Answer 3 – 50 • $792.00

33. Question 4 - 10 • What is it know as when scientists are not readily willing to accept a given explaination for something in nature

34. Answer 4 – 10 • Skepticism

35. Question 4 - 20 • When experimenters have a personal belief or opinion that effects their experiment it is known as

36. Answer 4 – 20 • bias

37. Question 4 - 30 • In an experiment it is important to create a prediction of what will happen. This is known as a

38. Answer 4 – 30 • Hypothesis

39. Question 4 - 40 • The conditions in a experiment that are kept the same for each trial are known as

40. Answer 4 – 40 • Controlled Variables

41. Question 4 - 50 • When something is supported by many lines of evidence and it explains many things that are seen in nature it is known as a

42. Answer 4 – 50 • Scientific Theory

43. Question 5 - 10 • What is the independent and dependent variable in this experiment?

44. Answer 5 – 10 • Independent variable- inches from cell • Dependent variable- voltage of solar cell (V)

45. Question 5 - 20 • What valuable piece of information is missing from this graph?

46. Answer 5 – 20 • A clear title

47. Question 5 - 30 • What is the independent variable in this experiment.

48. Answer 5 – 30 • The number of days that the algae was allowed to grow.

49. Question 5 - 40 • What is the experimenter measuring?

50. Answer 5 – 40 • Cell Density (CFU/ml)