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What is Science?

Learn about the scientific method, a systematic approach used by scientists to solve problems and test hypotheses. Discover the steps involved in this process, from identifying a problem to forming a conclusion.

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What is Science?

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  1. What is Science?

  2. Science means “having knowledge”. It involves trying to solve problems or determine a hypothesis.

  3. Scientists use the scientific method to test a hypothesis or answer a question.

  4. Steps in the Scientific Method • Identify a Problem • State Observations about the Problem • Form a Hypothesis • Design an Experiment • Data Collection • Form a Conclusion • Retest

  5. IDENTIFY THE QUESTION/PROBLEM What question is being answered, problem solved, or hypothesis tested.

  6. Observations Description of objects, events • May include data from all five senses (touch/texture, smell, taste, sight, sound) • Could be drawings, diagrams, written words • Do not include opinions.

  7. Hypothesis • An educated guess about the results • Must be testable • Predicts an outcome to the problem • Always support your idea with a reason! • (If….then…)

  8. Experiment • Design a controlled experiment to test your hypothesis and collect data • Develop a well planned series of procedures • Establish the control group and the experimental group • Identify your variables

  9. Experiment Control Group: the part of the experiment that is left alone or “natural”. Used to compare back to.

  10. Experiment Experimental Group: the part of the experiment in which a factor or variable is changed.

  11. Variables Variables are parts of an experiment

  12. Variables Controlled variables (constants): factors in an experiment that are NOT changed.

  13. Variables • Manipulated (independent) variable: • factors in an experiment that are changed. • Good experiments have only ONE manipulated variable.

  14. Variables Responding (dependent) variable: the factor that you are measuring.

  15. Data All the information gathered while performing the experiment. May be quantitative (numbers) or qualitative. Can be organized into charts, graphs, or tables

  16. Conclusion Results/Conclusions: Analyze your data to determine the final outcome of the experiment • What do you NOW believe as a result of the experiment or observations? • Restate your hypothesis (or at least relate your findings to it) • Support your claim with at least 2 pieces of data • Use good explanatory language

  17. Share your results: Publish your findings so that others may benefit from your work.

  18. THeories • Explanation of a set of related observations or events based upon well tested hypotheses. • Verified multiple times by detached groups of researchers. • One scientist cannot create a theory, he/she can only create a hypothesis. Examples: The theory of evolution

  19. laws • A statement of fact meant to explain, in concise terms, an action or set of actions. • Generally accepted to be true and universal, and can sometimes be expressed in terms of a single mathematical equation. Scientific laws are similar to mathematical postulates. They don’t really need any complex external proofs; they are accepted at face value based upon the fact that they have always been observed to be true. Examples: The law of gravity

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