What is Science?• The study and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena

•Any systematic activity requiring study and method

•Knowledge, especially knowledge gained through experience

•Science is a way of knowing, a process for gaining knowledge and

understanding of the natural world.

The Scientific Method

1. Question (or problem)

- What is the main topic of your exploration?

2. Research

- In this step, you find out what everybody else knows

about your topic already.

- You need to look at credible sources to find this

information.

- Try to find out something about your topic that

nobody knows the answer to, or at least something

that you do not know the answer to.

The Scientific Method

3. Hypothesis

- A possible explanation of events or a possible answer to your question.

- Your hypothesis should not be a random guess, it needs to be based on your research.

- There are two types of hypotheses:

- Null Hypothesis (H0), which states that there will be no difference between the control group and the experiment group. In other words, nothing will happen. (more professional)

- Alternate Hypothesis (HA), which is your predictionof what will happen in the experiment. (common)

The Scientific Method4. Experiment

- This is the step where you try and find the answer to your question.

- You need to briefly list your materials and methods.

- You need to write out the steps you will take to perform your experiment.

- All experiments must be divided up into two groups: experiment and control.

- In the experiment group, you add different variables (one at a time) to see how they alter the experiment (called independent variables). Besides the different variables in each test, EVERYTHING ELSE MUST BE THE SAME!

- In the control group, you perform the same experiment, but you add no variables. The result here is what you compare everything else to.

- You must record your results. These results must be measurable. The things you measure are called dependent variables. Generally, you only measure one dependent variable per experiment.

The Scientific Method

5. Record and Analyze Data

- Make sure to keep good

records of your results.

- Put your data into a

table, graph, chart, etc.

so you can compare your

results easily.

- If you get serious, you

need to analyze your data

using a statistical test.0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

East

West

North

1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr

East 20.4 27.4 90 20.4

West 30.6 38.6 34.6 31.6

North 45.9 46.9 45 43.9

The Scientific Method

6. Conclusion

- Must refer back to your hypothesis.

- If you used an alternate hypothesis, you either say that your hypothesis was right, or it was wrong.

- If you used a null hypothesis, you need to say that you either proved your hypothesis wrong, or you failed to prove your hypothesis wrong (it was right).

7. Retest / Application

- In this section, mention any questions that you came up with because of your experiment, anything you did wrong, etc. - Also, mention why anyone should care about your results (you MUST care) and how they could apply them to their lives.

Science vs. Pseudoscience• Science

– Uses the scientific method correctly

– Can be proven false

– Examples?

• Pseudoscience– Set of ideas based on theories put forth as scientific, when they

are not scientific.

– Does not follow scientific method correctly

– The entire theory cannot be proven false

– Uses statistics wrongly• “There’s lies, damn lies and statistics.” – Mark Twain

– Examples?

• Non-Science– Does not try to be science

– Cannot be proven false

– Examples?

Astronomy vs. Astrology• Astronomy is the study of everything about

a mile above the surface of the Earth.

– Astronomers use telescopes, spectroscopy,

radio waves, etc. to collect and analyze data.

• Astrology is the study of the movement of

the planets in relation to each other and

how their energies interact in order to

make predictions about the future.

– Intro to Science Articles\astrology.doc

Horoscopes vs. S.E.T.I.• Astrology helps predict horoscopes

– (horoscope)

• How well does this follow the scientific method?

• S.E.T.I. (Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)

– “The mission of the SETI Institute is to explore and explain the nature, distribution and prevalence of life in the universe.”

• How well do they follow the scientific method?

What are these?• Phrenology – “the study of the structure of

the skull to determine a person’s character

and mental capacity. Mental faculties are

located on the surface of the brain and can

be detected by visible inspection of the

skull.”

– Brain is where character, emotions,

perception, intellect, etc. are located

– Different parts of the brain are responsible for

different mental functions

What are these?

• Sociology – “the study of social life, social

change, and the social causes and

consequences of human behavior.”

– Collect data by observing and polling people,

analyzing populations, etc.

• Metoposcopy – “the interpretation of facial

wrinkles, especially those on the forehead,

to determine the character of a person.”

What are these?• Art – any creative work or its principles. Any

branch of of creative work, as painting or

sculpture.

• Religion – a specific system of belief, worship,

etc. often involving a code of ethics

• Mathematics – deals with quantities, forms, etc.

and their relationships , by the use of numbers

and symbols.

Psychology• The study of the causes, conditions, and

immediate consequences so far as these can be

ascertained, of states of consciousness…such

as sensations, desires, emotions, cognitions,

reasonings, decision, volitions, and the like.

• The data collected:

– Thoughts and feelings (transitory states of

consciousness)

– Knowledge, gained by way of thoughts and feelings

• Is this a science or a pseudoscience?

Psychology• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

• Treatments

– Purpose: Stop obsessions

– Research: Pavlov’s Dogs, watch obsessions

– Hypothesis: If punish when obsess, the person won’t

obsess

– Experiment: Shock every time person obsesses

– Data: Frequency of obsessions

– Conclusion: Right or wrong?

– Retest: Many trials needed

• Is this science?

Psychology• Schizophrenia

• We cannot “measure” this disease

• One treatment– Purpose: Reduce schizophrenia

– Research: Electroconvulsive Therapy & watch patient

– Hypothesis: Shocks will reduce schizophrenia

– Experiment: Send 150 J of electricity through the brain, causing the brain to have a convulsion (imagine a 110 lb. weight falling on your head from 1 foot)

– Data: Maybe works a little, but what do you measure?

– Conclusion: ??????

– Retest: a lot of shocks

• Is this science?

• Sometimes, things don’t fit in one category.

Metric System

• Le Systemé International (official name)

– Abbreviated as “SI system”

– Also called the metric system in US (unofficial

name)

• Official system of measurement in every

country in the world but one.

The Meter

Equator

North Pole

North Star

(Polaris)

• Astronomers made a triangle

using the North Pole, the

equator and Polaris

• 1 meter equaled

1/10,000, 000 of the distance

from the North Pole to the

equator of an arc that went

through Paris

• This wasn’t the best measurement for a

standard because of plate tectѯnics, which

change the landscape of the Earth after time.

The Meter

• Today’s definition of a meter

– The distance that light travels in a very small amount of time in a vacuum (in 1 / 299,792,458 sec)

• This is a good definition because the speed of light never changes (c = 3 x 108 m/s)

• Now that there was a basic unit (meter), the French scientists created a set of prefixes that multiplied or divided the meter by fractions of 10 to make smaller and greater units of measurement

PrefixesPrefix Abbreviation How it Equates

Exa ……………………………………..E………………1 Em = 100,000,000 m

Peta……………………………………..P………………1 Pm = 10,000,000 m

Tera……………………………………..T………………1 Tm = 1,000,000 m

Giga…………………………………….G………………1 Gm = 100,000 m

Mega …………………………………..M………………1 Mm =10,000 m

Kilo……………………………..k.……….... 1 km = 1,000 m

Hecto ………………………….h.………….1 hm = 100 m

Deka………………………….da….…….…1 dam = 10 m

Basic Unit (Meter, Liter, Gram)..m, L, g…... 1 m = 1 m

deci………………………..….d……….…. .1 dm = 0.1 m

centi……………………..……c……..……..1 cm = 0.01 m

milli……………………………m…….……..1 mm = 0.001 mmicro…………………….…...............µ………....………1 µm = 0.0001 m

nano ………………….………………n ………………….1nm = 0.00001 m

pico……………………………………p…….…………….1pm = 0.000001 m

fempto…………………..…………….f…………………..1 fm = 0.0000001 m

atto …………………………….……..a………………….1 am = 0.00000001 m

The Liter• Once they had a basic unit for distance,

they used it to create units for volume and

mass

• The unit for volume is the liter

– Written as a cursive letter “l”

– Typed as a capital letter “L”

• 1 milliliter = 1 cm3

1 m

1m

1 m

1 cm1 cm

1 cm

Other Units

• 1 gram equals the mass of one cm3 (1 mL)

of pure water at 0 C (273 Kelvin)

• The unit for temperature is Kelvin (no

degrees)

– Kelvin = C + 273

• Other basic units

– Energy : Joule (J)

– Time: second (s)

Fact vs. Inference• Fact: a thing that has already happened or is

thought to be true

• Infer: to derive or conclude by reasoning from something known or assured

• Examples:

• This man has a beard.

• This man is Charles Darwin.

• This man has a nose.

• This man was a good scientist.

• This man is missing some hair on top.

• This man is sad.