Science Basics

1. Science Basics Getting a Handle on Some Terminology

2. Fact or Belief? • Fact – specific statement about of substance or process that can be verified Sodium is a reactive metal. Sulfur is yellow. Iron rusts.

3. Fact or Belief? • Belief – statement that may be true but cannot be verified at present All electrons look alike. The Sun will rise tomorrow. As scientific belief is based on substantial evidence that predicts a likely outcome or situation.

4. Law • Law - generalized statement of a relationship between variables in a system based on repeated experimentation; can be used to predict behavior of a system As the temperature of a gas increases, its volume increases.

5. Hypothesis or Theory? • Hypothesis – possible action and/or explanation for a behavior or an observation; must be tested through experimentation Increased temperature will speed up the dissolving of a salt in water.

6. Hypothesis or Theory? • Theory – generalized explanation for observations based on repeated experimentation or observations Behavior such as expansion with heat or increased pressure with decreasing volume is a result of particles that are far apart and moving rapidly

7. Scientific Method • Make an observation that raises a question State a question • Determine a possible reason for the observation or relationship between variablesPose a hypothesis • Design and carry out an investigation to prove or disprove the hypothesis Do an experiment

8. Scientific Method • Compile information from the experiment and decide if the hypothesis was correct Analyze/Make a conclusion • If the conclusion or experimental process raises other questions, start the process again.

9. Scientific Method • Understand variables: • Independent variable = one changed by the experimenter • Dependent variable = one that changes as a result of a change in the independent variable • Controlled variable = any property that is not being investigated and must remain the same during the experiment

10. Scientific Method • Make an observation that raises a question. Do birds prefer red or blue bird feeders? • Determine a possible reason for the observation. Pose a hypothesis. Birds prefer to eat from red feeders rather than blue feeders. • Design and carry out an investigation to prove or disprove the hypothesis Determine the variables: Independent = color of the feeder Dependent = # of birds at the feeder

11. Scientific Method Determine the variables: Controlled = type of feeder, type of food, time of day recorded, height of feeder, location of feeder… Set up 3 blue and three red identical bird feeders. At a set time each day for 10 days, record how many birds are at each feeder. Record data in a suitable table.

12. Scientific Method • Compile information from the experiment. Analyze the data. Make a bar graph of the number of birds at each color feeder for each day. • Decide if the hypothesis was correct. Make a conclusion The birds prefer a red feeder over a blue feeder.