Chapter One: Section One: The Nature of Science
Questions/Key Points
-Science is a way or process to solve problems.
-Scientific Theory: an attempted explanation that is supported by facts.
-Scientific Law: rules that describe a pattern in nature that is repeated often.
-Technology: the application of science to make products or tools that people can use.
-Scientists use several methods to communicate their observations.
Notes
-Scientists use their senses to make observations.
-Tools are used to give numbers to descriptions (record data).
-Science can be used as a tool to solve problems in all aspects of your life.
-Scientists use prior knowledge/experiences to predict what will happen in an investigation (Hypothesis).
-A theory tries to explain why something is happening and a law only explains what is happening.
-Observing, measuring, comparing and contrasting are some of the skills you will use in your science class.
-Scientific journals or magazines are good places for people to publish their scientific findings. Students use Science Journals to communicate their observations.
-Things to record in a science journal: observations, plans for experiments, step-by-step procedures, lists of materials, drawing of your set-up and results, recording data, mathematical computations, problems that occurred and solutions used to solve them, data tables, graphs, etc.
Chapter 1: Section 2: Doing Science
Questions/Key Points:
-Descriptive Research: answer scientific questions through observation.
-Experimental research design: is used to answer scientific questions by testing a hypothesis through the use of carefully controlled steps.
-Scientific Methods: are ways or steps to follow to try to solve problems.
-Model: represents things that happen too slowly, too quickly or are too big or too small to observe directly.
-Hypothesis: a prediction that can be tested.
-Independent Variable: the factor in the experiment that is changed.
-Dependent Variable: the factor in the experiment that is being measured.
-Constants: Variables that stay the same throughout the whole experiment.
-Control Group: a sample that is treated like the other experimental groups except that the independent variable is not applied to it.
Examples of a Project with the Variables Identified:
1. Different rose bushes, white, red, yellow and pink are grown in a greenhouse for two months. The number of flowers on each bush is counted at the end of each day for the duration of the experiment.
IV: The different color rose bushes
DV: The number of flowers on each bush
CV: the starting size of the bushes, the location the bushes are in, the amount of sunlight and water each
bush receives, when the data is being collected, the person tending to the bushes, the type of rose
bush.
Control Group: Red Rose bush
Experimental Groups: White, Yellow and Pink Rose bushes
2. Will thinks that a heavier paper airplane will fly father. He will add small (1g) paper clips to his paper airplane to determine how mass affects the distance the plane travels.
IV: the airplanes with different amounts of paper clips added
DV: The distance the paper airplane travels
CV: The design of the airplane, the paper the airplane is made out of, where the paper airplane is being
flown, how the distance is being measured, the paper clips are the same mass for each individual one before being added to the airplane.
Control Group: The paper airplane being flown without any paperclips added.
Experimental Groups: The paper airplane with different numbers of paper clips added
Notes
-Different problems will require different scientific methods to solve them.
-Descriptive research can be used in investigations when experiments would be impossible to perform.
-Descriptive research steps: (1) state the research objective, or the question you want to answer; (2) Describe the research design or how you will carry out your investigation; (3) Eliminate bias or expected results; (4) Select the best materials for the investigation; (5) Design data tables or ways to accurately record results and observations; (6) Analyze your data and figure out what your results mean; (7) Draw conclusions.
-Models are also useful in situations in which direct observation would be too dangerous or expensive.
-Scientists around the world use a system of measurements called the International System of Units to make observations. Such as grams for mass, liters for volume, and meters for length.
-Experimental research design steps: (1) Form a hypothesis; (2) plan the experiment; (3) Use a control; (4) Conduct several trials of the experiment; (5) Analyze your results and draw conclusions.
Chapter 1: Section 3: Science and Technology
Questions/Key Points:
-Science is meaningful in other ways in your everyday life.
-New scientific knowledge can mean that old ways of thinking or doing things are challenged.
-Science provides information that people use to make decisions.
-Science cannot decide whether the new information is good or harmful, moral or immoral.
Notes:
-New discoveries constantly lead to new products that influence your lifestyle or standard of living.
-Technology also makes your life more convenient; helps you lead healthier lives and improves entertainment in your life.