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SCIENTIFIC METHOD

SCIENTIFIC METHOD. PROCESSES OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH AN OBSERVATION?. INDUCTIVE REASONING DEDUCTIVE REASONING. INDUCTIVE REASONING. PROCESS OF GENERALIZING FROM SPECIFIC OBSERVATIONS. EXAMPLE.

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SCIENTIFIC METHOD

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  1. SCIENTIFIC METHOD PROCESSES OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

  2. WHAT DO YOU DO WITH AN OBSERVATION? • INDUCTIVE REASONING • DEDUCTIVE REASONING

  3. INDUCTIVE REASONING PROCESS OF GENERALIZING FROM SPECIFIC OBSERVATIONS

  4. EXAMPLE The average mass of cows in Vermont is 450kg therefore the average mass of all North American cows must be 450kg

  5. DEDUCTIVE REASONING • START W/ VALID GENERALIZATION • REASON FROM IT • ARRIVE AT SPECIFIC CONCLUSION

  6. EXAMPLE YOU DEDUCE THAT IF THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF AFRICAN LIONS IN THE WILD IS 10 YEARS THEN THE AVERAGE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF LIONS IN KENYA IS 10 YEARS

  7. SCIENTISTS GO FURTHER - THEY TEST IDEAS WILL OBSERVATIONS MADE FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS SHOW THAT THE AVERAGE MASS OF COWS IS 450kg?

  8. STEPS TO SCIENTIFIC METHOD • MAKE OBSERVATIONS • FORM QUESTIONS BASED ON OBSERVATIONS • FORMULATE A HYPOTHESIS • TEST HYPOTHESIS - REPEAT TESTS • ANALYZE RESULTS • CONCLUSION

  9. IN SCIENCE THERE ARE NO ABSOLUTE TRUTHS AN IDEA IS CORRECT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF OBSERVATIONS & TESTS WHICH IT IS DERIVED

  10. Set of ideas that form a general frame of reference for further study Explanations have high probability of being valid Evidence is so over- whelming that the explanation is further elevated fundamental doctrine on which other concepts are based objectivity THEORY PRINCIPLE

  11. WHAT IS A HYPOTHESIS? • A tentative explanation • To be scientific must be testable • Constructed to provide framework for stating the results of an experiment • Must be more specific than problem

  12. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS • INDEPENDENT VARIABLE • DEPENDENT VARIABLE • CONTROLLED VARIABLE

  13. INDEPENDENT VARIABLE THE CONDITION OR EVENT UNDER STUDY

  14. DEPENDENT VARIABLE Variables that can possibly change because of the presence of or change in an independent variable (What is measured in an experiment)

  15. CONTROLLED VARIBLES(CONSTANTS) Conditions that could affect the outcome of an experiment but do not because they are held constant

  16. RANDOM SAMPLING Subjects are randomly assorted into either experimental group or control group (ensures both groups are representative samples of the original population)

  17. SAMPLING ERROR When a test group is not equivalent to a natural population, a sampling error is introduced to the experiment

  18. SYSTEMATIC ERROR • ERROR THAT OCCURS IN THE SAME DIRECTION EACH TIME AND IS ALWAYS EITHER TOO HIGH OR TOO LOW

  19. ORGANIZING TEST RESULTS • DATA TABLES • GRAPHS

  20. Example: Annual and Seasonal Black Bear home ranges in km2.

  21. Comparison of annual and seasonal home range estimates

  22. Statistical tests determine if differences between experimental data and control data are significant or likely due only to chance.

  23. GENERALIZING FROM TEST RESULTS • Hypothesis is accepted or rejected on basis of conclusions drawn • Statement is written about new insights gained • Apparent trends are noted • Further problems and hypotheses are posed

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