To understand scientific thinking To illustrate scientific thinking

1. Objectives • To understand scientific thinking • To illustrate scientific thinking • To describe the method scientists use to study nature

2. A. Solving Everyday Problems • Scientific thinking helps us solve all types of problems we confront in our lives. • Scientific thinking involves • observations • defining a problem • construction of explanations • evaluation of possible explanations or solutions to the problem

3. B. Using Scientific Thinking to Solve a Problem

4. B. Using Scientific Thinking to Solve a Problem David and Susan have symptoms of lead poisoning

5. B. Using Scientific Thinking to Solve a Problem No other customers have symptoms – lead is not from food

6. C. The Scientific Method • The scientific method is a procedure for processing the information that flows from the world around us in which we: • Make observations • Formulate hypotheses • Perform experiments to test our hypotheses

7. C. The Scientific Method

8. C. The Scientific Method Observations Are Not Hypotheses • An observation can be witnessed and recorded. • A hypothesis is an interpretation – a possible explanation of why something happens. Write down three observations and three related hypotheses Types of Observations • An observation can be qualitative or quantitative • Quantitative observations include both a number and a unit Write down three quantitative and three qualitative observations

9. C. The Scientific Method Theories Are Not Laws • A natural law is a summary of behavior. • A theory is our attempt to explain why it happens. • Theory or Law? • Metals are more dense than gases • Gravitational forces make a pen drop to the bench • Hydrogen atoms are usually found in pairs • Gas burns because the methane combines with oxygen and gives off heat and light