Warm up Activity 

The Bikini Bottom gang loves science class and wanted to do a little research. Read the description for the experiment and use your knowledge of the scientific method to answer the questions. Flower PowerSpongeBob loves to garden and wants to grow lots of pink flowers for his pal Sandy. He bought a special Flower Power fertilizer to see if it will help plants produce more flowers. He plants two plants of the same size in separate containers with the same amount of potting soil. He places one plant in a sunny window and waters it every day with fertilized water. He places the other plant on a shelf in a closet and waters it with plain water every other day.  What did SpongeBob do wrong in this experiment? Explain.  What should SpongeBob do to test the effectiveness of Flower Power fertilizer? Write an experiment.

Yes

No

No Yes

Identify the Problem/Observation

•The scientific method begins with observation.

•An observation is a visible or provable fact.

•An inference is an opinion, or conclusion, based on

observed facts.

Identify the Problem/Observation

Important terms:Independent (manipulated) variable:

condition or event under study (choose 1) .Graphing-x axis

Dependent (responding) variable: condition that could change under the influence of the independent variable (measure this). Y-axis

Controlled variables: conditions which could effect the outcome of the experiment so they must be held constant between groups.

Hypothesis(Problem Statement)

Does Not Have To Be An IF….THEN

Statement!

Is your data inaccurate or

the experiment

flawed?

Analyze your data

Medical ScienceScientific Method

High Cholesterol

Observation Patient has high cholesterol

Hypothesis (prediction)

Certain chemicals may dissolve cholesterol deposits.

Create Experiment/ Experiment

Give 100 patients these chemicals, give 100 patients placebo.

Analyze Data Same number lower their cholesterol as placebo patients.

Revise hypothesis?

Try different combo of chemicals.

New test? Re-run medical test. Observe results.

Results Lipitor reduces cholesterol.

Everyday Science

Scientific Method Car Repair

Observation Engine won’t turn over.

Hypothesis (prediction)

Predict battery is dead.

Experiment Replace battery.

Analyze Data Engine now turns over.

Revise hypothesis? Not needed.

New test? Not needed.

Results Cars won’t work without a fully charged battery.

Everyday Science

Scientific Method Making Spaghetti Sauce

Observation Spaghetti sauce should be red.

Hypothesis (prediction)

Try a tomato sauce.

Experiment Heat pot of tomato sauce.

Analyze Data Taste the sauce - bland.

Revise hypothesis? Use tomato sauce and garlic!

New test? Add garlic, taste - not so bland.

Result The Final Recipe.

Theories and Natural Laws Theory: a description of the world

that covers a relatively large number of phenomena and has met many observational and experimental tests

Law of Nature: theory (or group of theories) that has been tested extensively and seems to apply everywhere in the universe-they become part of the conceptual framework of a particular field

Specifically, scientific laws must be simple, true, universal, and absolute. They represent the cornerstone of scientific discovery, because if a law ever did not apply, then all science based upon that law would collapse.

Examples: Newton's laws of motion the laws of thermodynamics Boyle's law of gases the law of conservation of mass and

energy

Theory: what one or more hypotheses become

once they have been verified and accepted to be true.

an explanation of a set of related observations or events based upon proven hypotheses and verified multiple times by detached groups of researchers.

***Unfortunately, even some scientists often use the term "theory" in a more colloquial sense, when they really mean to say "hypothesis." That makes its true meaning in science even more confusing to the general public.

In general, both a scientific theory and a scientific law are accepted to be true by the scientific community as a whole. Both are used to make predictions of events. Both are used to advance technology.

Warm up Activity 

Super SnailsGary is not the smartest snail in Bikini Bottomand believes he can improve his brain power by eating Super Snail Snacks. In order to test this hypothesis, he recruits SpongeBob and several snail friends to help him with the experiment. The snails ate one snack with each meal every day for three weeks. SpongeBob created a test and gave it to the snails before they started eating the snacks as well as after three weeks.

Based on the data provided, do the Super Snail Snacks work? Explain your answer.

Graphing- important tool for expressing data so that it is easier to read

and interpret

Rules for graphing:--place the manipulated/independent variable (the one

that was changed) on the x axis.

--place the dependent/responding variable (the results

of that change) on the y axis.

DRY

MIX

y scale = largest y value – smallest y value x scale = largest x value – smallest x value

# of lines on the y axis # of lines on the x axis

The graph should cover at least ¾ of the grid

DRY/MIX

Points to remember when graphing Label each axis Title graph Start scale at a # that will give you a

REASONABLE graph. Make sure you include all points Each axis DOES NOT have to start

with the same #. Intervals

All data points fit Max space is covered

Draw Best Fit line (don’t connect dots)

Title

Nam

e y-

axis

The lines on scientific graphs are usually drawn either straight or curved. These "smoothed" lines do not have to touch all the data points, but they should at least get close to most of them. They are called best-fit lines

Use when comparing data from different groups

Use with a total of 100% or when looking at parts of a whole.

Use when tracking a change over time.

Use when graphing #’s vs. #’s