Chapter: The Nature of Science

2. Table of Contents Chapter: The Nature of Science Section 1: What is science? Section 2: Science in Action Section 3: Models in Science Section 4: Evaluating Scientific Explanation

3. What is science? A. Learning About the World 1. Science is a way of learning more about the natural world. 2. Scientists want to know why, how, or when something occurred. 3. Learning process usually begins by keeping your eyes open and asking questions about what you see.

4. What is science? B. Asking Questions 1. Science can attempt to answer many questions about the natural world, but some questions cannot be answered by science. 2. Science cannot help you find the meaning of a poem or decide what your favorite color is. Science can’t tell you what is right, wrong, good, or bad.

5. What is science? C. Possible Explanations 1. Science can answer a question only with the information available at the time.

6. What is science? C. Possible Explanations • 2. As new information becomes available, explanations can be modified or discarded and new explanations can be made.

7. What is science? 1 D. Scientific Theories 1. A scientific theory is an attempt to explain a pattern seen repeatedly in the natural world. 2. Theories are not just guesses or opinions. Theories in science must be supported by observations and results from many investigations.They are the best explanations that have been found so far.

8. What is science? 1 D. Scientific Theories 3.Theories can change. As new data are found, scientists evaluate how the new data fit the theory. 4. Sometimes the new data do not support the theory. Then scientists can change theory to fit the new data better.

9. What is science? 1 E. Scientific Laws 1. A rule that describes a pattern in nature is a scientific law. 2. For an observation to become a scientific law, it must be observed repeatedly.A law helps you predict what will happen. For example, gravity exists or how it works. 3. A law, unlike a theory, does not attempt to explain why something happens. It simply describes a pattern.

10. What is science? F. Systems in Science 1. A system is a collection of structures, cycles, and processes that relate to each other and work together. 2. For example, your stomach is a the structure, or one part of, your digestive system.

11. What is science? • 4. Your school is a system with structures such as the school building, the tables and chairs, you, your teacher, the school bell,your pencil, andmany other things. F. Systems in Science 3. You can find systems in other places besides science.

12. What is science? F. Systems in Science 5. Your school day also has cycles. Your daily class schedule and the calendar of holidays are examples of cycles.

13. What is science? F. Systems in Science 6. In a system, structures, cycles, and processes work together. 7.Your daily schedule influences where you go and what time you go. The clock shows the teacher when the test is complete, and you couldn’t complete the test without a pencil.

14. What is science? G. Parts of a Whole • All systems are made up of other systems. • For example, the human body is a system—within human body, there are other systems.

15. What is science? G. Parts of a Whole 2. Scientists often break down problems by studying just one part of a system. 3. A scientist might want to learn about how construction of buildings affects the ecosystem. Because an ecosystem has many parts, one scientist might study a particular animal, and another might study the effect on plant life.

16. What is science? H. The Branches of Science 1. Science often is divided into three main categories, or branches—Biology, Earth science, and physical science.Each branch asks questions about different kinds of systems.

17. What is science? I. Biology 1.The study of living systems and the ways in which they interact is called Biology. 2. Biologist can study living organisms, where they live, and how they interact.

18. What is science? I. Biology 3. People who work in the health field, like a doctors and nurses, know a lot about the Biology.They work with systems of the human body. 4. Some other examples of careers that use biology include biologists, zookeepers, botanists, farmers, and beekeepers.

19. What is science? J. Earth Science 1.The study of Earth systems and the systems in space is Earth science. It includes the study of nonliving things such as rocks, soil, clouds, rivers, oceans, planets, stars, meteors, and black holes.

20. What is science? Earth Science 2. Earth science also covers the weather and climate systems that affect Earth. 3. Meteorologists study weather and climate. 4. Geologists study rocks and geologic features. 5. A volcanologist is a person who studies volcanoes.

21. What is science? K. Physical Science 1. The study of matter and energy is physicalscience. 2. Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.Energy is the ability to cause change in matter. 3. All systems – living and nonliving – are made of matter.

22. What is science? K. Physical Science 4. Physical science can be divided into two general fields—chemistry and physics. 5. Chemistry is the study of matter and the interactions of matter and physics is the study of energy and its ability to change matter.

23. What is science? L. Science and Technology 1.Technology is the practical use of science in our everyday lives. 2. Engineers apply science to develop technology. 3.The study of how to use the energy of sunlight is science. Using this knowledge to create solar panels is technology.

24. Section Check 1 Question 1 A rule that describes a pattern in nature is known as _______. A. a scientific theory B. a scientific law C. a scientific hypothesis D. a scientific rule

25. Section Check Q1. Answer The answer is B. A scientific law only recognizes that patterns exist in nature; it doesn’t try to explain why they exist. When you drop a rock, it always falls—thanks to the law of gravity.

26. Section Check 1 Question 2 Studying how the sun makes energy is science. Putting this knowledge to use in making solar panels, however, is called _______. A. philosophy B. solar science C. technology D. the scientific method

27. Section Check Q2. Answer The correct answer is C. The term “technology” refers to the application of knowledge gained through the use of science. For example, understanding why natural gas burns is science; a gas-burning stove is technology.

28. Section Check 1 Question 3 Which of the following questions cannot be answered by science? A. How old is the sun? B. How do volcanoes erupt? C. Should we be kind to strangers? D. Why is the sky blue?

29. Section Check Q3. Answer The answer is C. Moral questions cannot be answered by science. The other questions can be answered by the careful study of nature.

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