Nature of Science

1. Nature of Science Scientific Hypothesis Natural Law vs. Scientific Theory

2. Nature of Science Scientific Hypothesis Natural Law vs. Scientific Theory

3. What is Science? • Science is a particular way of explaining and/or understanding • the natural world. • It is based on observation and experiments that can be confirmed • or disprovedby other scientists using accepted scientific techniques. • It allows us to connect the past and the present Scientific approach often begins with a question, which comes from an observationabout one or more phenomena in nature and follows by a scientific hypothesis.

4. What is a Scientific Hypothesis? • Scientific hypothesis is an explanation of one or • more phenomena in nature that can be tested • by observations, experiments, or both. • A hypothesis must be falsifiable, which means • that it can be proven to be incorrect. • e.g.the dictionary is approximately 60 years old. • (this hypothesis can be verified by checking the copy right • date and/or tested using carbon dating technique)

5. Natural Law vs. Scientific Theory LAW: A descriptionof how a natural phenomenon will occur under certain circumstances consistently. e.g. gravitywill cause unattached objects at certain heights within the Earth’s atmosphere tofall onto the Earth surface/ground. SCIENTIFIC THEORY: A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that typically incorporates many confirmed observations, laws, and successfully verified hypotheses. e.g.theory of evolution, which aims at explaining the diversity of life on earth through a process of change; evolution is a theory because it is a well-tested and well-substantiated explanation.

6. Even if a theory is a well-substantiated explanation, it is notafactbecause we do not have ALL the evidence to make that conclusion. Hmm… A scientific theory is not a fact! Because of the nature of science, that it s evidence-based, as long as a theory cannot be proven false, it remainstrue, but we do not know for sure if it is really is true!

7. Characteristics of the NOS • Science is built on evidence observed or deduced from the natural world, therefore it is constantly changing! • Evidence is gathered through the use of our senses • Evidence can be confusing, seemingly conflicting and apparently random • Data is not always consistent • All the evidence may not be available • This is why Scientific explanations are ‘tentative’ • May have to connected seemingly unrelated lines of evidence to form hypotheses • Discern between useful and useless data is challenging • Remember that human values, biases and experiences • can deeply influence science

8. Cheque Activity! • Get into groups of 4 • Please listen for instructions Questions: • What bits of information on the checks were valuable to your group formulating hypothesis? • What information was useless? • List any misleading information that was presented. • Why do we saya hypothesis in science is “tentative”? • How could your hypothesis become a theory? • Is your final hypothesis “correct”? Explain