Intro To Science

What is Science?
Definitions
Verb a way of learning about the natural world
through observation and logical thinking
Noun An organized body of information /
interpretation about the world that can change and
grow as new information is learned and ideas
developed through the process of scientific inquiry

How Does Science Work?
Scientific Inquiry
Primary principles through which scientists study the world
around us

Scientific Inquiry is a series of steps by which problems can be
solved in a logical manner
In many types of science this involves the classic, science
experiment also known as a controlled experiment
These same principles are used by people in many walks of life
everyday to solve problems of all kinds

It is important to have a standard procedure
Allows for others to duplicate tests that were done and confirm
results

How Does Science Work?
Scientific Knowledge is built around a few types of info:
Laws universally accepted explanations of how the natural
world works
Describe certain predicatable occurances
What goes up must come down The LAW of Gravity

Theories Well tested idea that explains a wide range of
observations
Must be testable via the scientific method (scientific inquiry) or
other accepted method of investigation
Tested by making predictions which are based on principles,
observations and other theories

Inferences assumptions based on observation and past
experience
A fire truck drives by with siren on you infer something is on fire

Details of Scientific Inquiry
ASK a question
All inquiry starts with this either formally or informally, whether
it is solving a murder or finding a cure for cancer
What are some things you wonder about?

DO some research
Must find out what is already known or assumed
What have others already done in answering this question?
Sources of info:
Professional journals
Co-workers
Internet sources
DO some research
May make some observations at this point as well
Lead to inferences

Make a PREDICTion
Called an HYPOTHESIS
NOT an educated guess!!!!
For our purposes, should be written in , IF . . .
THEN . . . BECAUSE format
In real science the hypothesis is not always formally written
in this fashion
Make a PREDICTion
IF I review my science notes each night, THEN I will get better
grades in science BECAUSE it will help me understand and
remember the material better.

Make a Hypothesis for the following question:
Could you pull 2 phone books apart if the pages were interlaced?

Lets Find Out . . . . Click below
Lets Try Another:

What would happen if Ice battled fire?

Lets Find Out!!

Another example:
Write an hypothesis for the following question:
How would fertilizer affect plant growth?
MINE: IF plants are given fertilizer, THEN they will grow faster,
BECAUSE fertilizer provides extra nutrients for growth
Your Hypothesis should be fairly specific and needs to
be testable
The more specific, the easier it is to test . . .
BAD IF the Bills play the CBA JV football team in the
Super Bowl, Then they will play football because the
Superbowl is a football game
True but, are you serious?
BAD IF Fire battled ice THEN one would beat the
other one BECAUSE fire is hot and ice is a solid
Which would win and why? Make a prediction
DESIGN an experiment
There are many types of studies and
experiments. Must choose best one for your
hypothesis. . .
Most common in laboratory research is called
a CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT
Called CONTROLLED because all factors which
may influence the outcome are accounted for and
controlled
Factors which may influence your results are
called VARIABLES
Designing a controlled experiment:
1. Identify all variables which may influence your results
2. Choose one variable to test WHY ONLY ONE?
1. Called the INDEPENDENT or MANIPULATED variable
2. Usually determined by the IF part of your hypothesis
3. EX: IF plants are given fertilizer how much fertilizer you
give your test plants is the Independat variable
3. Identify what the effect is you will be observing or
measuring
1. This is called the DEPENDANT or RESPONDING variable
2. Typically determined by the THEN section of the hypothesis
3. EX: THEN the plants will grow faster PLANT GROWTH is
the DEPENDENT variable
Desgining a controlled experiment:
4. Determine over what period of time and how often you will
measure the dependent variable
5. Identify what your control group should be The control group
either demonstrates the normal condition or/and does not
receive the Independent variable
1. Control group gives you something to compare the influence of the
independent variable to.
2. If experimental results are no different than the control, then the IV
has no influence. . .
6. Decide how many experimental groups you will have, what they
will receive, and how many repeats of each group you will have
1. It is standard to have at least 3 trials of each experimental group
WHY?

Make Observations and record data:
All experiments involve making observations or
measurements and calculations (or both)
Information recorded during an experiment is
referred to as DATA 2 types
Qualitative: observations made using the senses
Color (clear is NOT a color BTW)
Odor smelly, sweet, rotten egg smell, vinegary
Texture fuzzy, sharp, rough
Hardness soft, medium hard, hard
Taste sweet, sour, salty
Sound fizzy, popping

Quantitative: require an instrument and typically
some analysis, calculations, etc
Temperature
Mass
Density
Volume
Length
Brightness (luminosity)
Absorbance of light
Current
And much much more!!!

Many measurements have different units in which
they can be measured, the international scientific
community has agreed upon a standard set of units
for better communication of results with others
around the world
Called SI Units (Systeme Internationale)
7 Base Units:
Length = Meter (m), also, centimeter (cm), millimeter (mm),
micrometer (um)
Mass = Kilogram (kg), also gram (g), milligram (mg),
microgram (jm), nanogram (ng)
Temperature = Kelvin (K) also celsius (
o
C)
Time = seconds (s) also hours (h) and minutes (min)
Electrical current = Ampere (A)
Luminosity = candela (cd)
# of Particles = moles (mol) = 6.02 x10
23
A
Many other SI units based on various calculations 2
important ones:

Many other SI units based on various calculations 2
important ones:
Volume cubic centimeters (cm
3
) or milliliters (ml) also liters
(l), microliters (ul), picoliters (pl) nanoliters (nl)
Density How tightly packed a substance is grams /
milliliter (g/ml) also g/l, kg/l etc
Observations should ALWAYS be recorded in
appropriate data tables which are titled and columns
/ rows are labelled etc.

Analyze and Interpret Data
Results of experiment must be arranged in meaningful and
organized way
May include charts, graphs, diagrams, models, etc.
Use these to identify trends or patterns which may support or
disprove original hypothesis, OR lead to an entirely new
question
Draw Conclusions
How does your interpretation of the data relate to your
hypothesis?
Are there additional questions which may now be asked?
Were there errors made which must be accounted for?
Modifications to the experiment which should be tried and / or
next steps in the study?
Communicate your findings
Findings are communicated to the scientific
community in several different ways: Why?
Review of experimental protocol and results interpretation by
peers (called peer review)
Increases the acceptance of findings by others
Allows for input by others who may have helpful ideas you
havent thought of
Helps to add to the overall body of scientific knowledge
How communicated?
Publication in scientific journals:
First present to peers inlab meetings etc for input
Author review all contributing scientists review the paper for
errors, data interpretation, generl proofreading etc.
Peer review Articles submitted to journals are given to
experts in the field for comment and are usually sent back
with comment for changes
Revisions If journal wants to publish, it is sent to authors for
fine-tuning
Resubmittal After changes are made, article is returned to
publisher for publication
How communicated?
Present findings @ Conferences
Typically present findings which hac=ve either already been
published or have been accepted for publication WHY?
Lets Try It!!
Question: Why does dropping Mentos into a
bottle of soda cause an explosion?
Do some research:
Make a PREDICTION
Lets Try It!!
Design an Experiment:
Identify variables: bottle size, candy size, flavor, other
ingredients, soda type
Independent Variable:
Candy type
Dependent:
amount of soda released
Lets Try It!!
Design an Experiment:
Experimental groups:
Mint mentos
Fruit flavor
M & Ms
certs
Which is the control?
Mint Mentos
All other variables MUST be the same for ALL groups

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What is Science?

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