SCIENCE

• What is Science?

• Different kinds of science– Physics– Biology– Chemistry– Make your definition broad!

Science: A Way of Knowing

Chapter 1

Great Idea:Science is a way of asking and answering

questions about the physical universe

The Role of Science

• Making Choices– Ask questions, make observations, form

conclusions– Applied in a more formal, quantitative

way equals science

– Science is a process

Choosing Gasoline

Why Study Science?

• Most powerful tool for understanding • Incorporates basic ideas and theories • Provides framework for new

questions• Provides unparalleled view of order

and symmetry of the universe and its workings

The Scientific Method

Observation

• History– Greek Philosophers– Middle Ages

• Observation – no manipulation• Experiment – manipulation

Plato and Aristotle with Students

Observation: Identifying Patterns

• First step in scientific method

• Regularity

• Recognize patterns

Development of a Hypothesis

• Second step of Scientific method

• Establish regularity– Why is this happening? – Hypothesis is an explanation, educated

guess• “If I drop my keys, they will fall”

Prediction

• Predictions– Hypothesis, Theory, Law

– Must be quantitatively testable

Testing

• Final step of Scientific Method

• Testing– Do not prove or disprove– Define range of validity

• Every law and theory of nature is subject to change, based on new observations

Testing: Collecting data

• Measurement-better description• Data-table or graph• Patterns emerge• Describe:

– In words– In equation form– In symbols

Measurements Presented Visually in the Form of a Graph

Measurements of Falling Objects

Predicting the Behavior of Falling Objects

The Scientific Method in Operation

• Cycle– Not rigid

• Results must be reproducible

• Cycle is continuous– Test one hypothesis at a time

Fig. 1-15-2

Facts, Hypotheses, Laws, and Theories

• Test many hypotheses, can lead to theory or law– Hypothesis: educated guess

• Theory– Well-substantiated description or explanation– Broad

• Law– Numerous tests point to pattern– Statement

Organize

The Scientific Method

Testing

observations

How does science relate to me?

• Make a list of 10 different thingsyou have done in last 24 hours

Describe each item (Briefly)

● Circle items related to science

Science in daily life

• Chemistry: chemicals to clean clothes

• Physics: electricity, cars (automotive engine), television, computers

• Biology: medicine

Unit 1. Exercise 1: Solving a Real-Life Problem

• Your task this week is to identify a problem in your field that we can tackle using the scientific method.

• Do internet search– Current problems in your field

Unit 1. Exercise 1: Solving a Real-Life Problem

• What is the problem/question?• What have you observed that gives

you clues as to what might be happening?

• What is a feasible hypothesis to explain what you have observed?

• How could you test this hypothesis? What is your prediction about the outcome of the test?

Unit 1. Exercise 1: Solving a Real-Life Problem

• 1-2 page report

• Describe the problem and • How the scientific method could be

applied to come up with a solution.• Answer the questions• Due 12/17/12

Dynamic process of scientific research

The Ongoing Process of Science

Science is ongoing

• There are still many questions to be answered by science

• Why scientists still conduct science

• Advancements in modern medicine– Vaccines, prosthetic limbs– http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science

/jan-june11/bionicbodies_06-28.html

Science in daily life

• Take those items you circled

• Brief explanation on how those itemswork in relation to science

Are there other things in daily lifethat science could solve?

Other Ways of Knowing

Different Kinds of Questions

• Cannot always use scientific method• Art

– Use to address age of painting– Not for beauty, etc.

• Religion– No conflict between science and religion– Faith vs. experiment

Pseudoscience

• Pseudoscience– Belief, dogma– Ideas not testable

• Evaluation of a claim1. Are the ‘facts’ true as stated?2. Is there an alternative explanation?3. Is the claim falsifiable?4. Have claims been tested?5. Do claims require unreasonable

changes in accepted ideas?

Writing Assignment 1

• Science in the Media

• List of TV and movies that portray science

• Is the work of the scientists glorified? Are the results of experiments realistic or exaggerated?

Science in the Media

• Do the TV/movie characters follow the steps of the scientific method?

• How does the science you see on TV and movies compare to the science you read about in the news?

• www.nytimes.com

Writing assignment 1: Due 12/17

• Look at the website of a newspaper 2-3 news articles

• controversial scientific issues like climate change, stem cell research, or evolution.

• Summarize how each article demonstrates that science makes a difference in our lives.

• Discuss how news articles differ from scientific articles.

Language Barrier

• Technical language versus ‘everyday’ speech

• Climate change– Scientists focus on future– Public wants to know in relation to

present day– http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/po

st/newsflash-climate-scientists-are-different-than-the-general-public/2011/09/25/gIQAnBYkxK_blog.html

The Organization of Science

Divisions of Science

• What does a scientist do?• Imagine what a scientist would look

like

• Approach– Field researcher– Experimentalists– Theorists

Scientists Work at Many Different Tasks

The Branches of Science

• Physics– Fundamental aspects of nature

• Chemistry– Atoms in combination

• Biology– Living systems

• Astronomy– Objects in space

• Geology– Earth

The Web of Knowledge

• Center– Laws of nature– Apply to all areas

• Areas Interconnected– All branches integrated

The Interconnected Web of Scientific Knowledge

Funding for Science

• US Government– $130 billion– NSF, NIH, DOE, DOD, EPA, NASA, NOAA

• Apply for funds– Grant proposal

• Ranked by independent scientists• Highly competitive

Major Research Laboratories

2008: Federal Science Funding

Communication Among Scientists

• Collaboration• Scientific Meetings• Peer reviewed Journals

– Cornerstone of science

Writing Assignment 2

• Process of science• Find article on scientific research found

on the ITT Tech Virtual Library• Read the abstract and pay attention to

figures as you skim the rest of the article.

• Identify the general area of science that is being studied (biology, chemistry, physics, earth science, astronomy)

Writing Assignment 2

• Summarize and explain in your own words how/why the researchers working on this project are “doing science “?

• Due 1/7/13

Writing Assignment 2

• Does this article make sense to you?• Is it easy or difficult to understand? • Can you identify the steps of the scientific

method in this article, • and can you get a good idea of what the

scientist did? • Discuss the importance of communication

in science and difficulties of conveying scientific content to the general public.

Virtual Library

• ITT Virtual Library– EBSCO host, citations (APA)

• Earth Science

• Chemistry

• Biology

Scientific Articles

• Peer reviewed• Introduction

– Observations and Hypotheses– Predictions

• Methods/Materials– Testing, experiments, data

• Results• Discussion

– Summarize your findings and what others have found