Nature of Science

Pre-Course Review
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Why does Science matter? (Adopted from the Cary Institute: [Link])

To survive on this planet we must understand how forests, freshwaters, and human health are
influenced by: land conversion; the movement of pests and pathogens; nutrient pollution; a
proliferation of synthetic chemicals and toxic substances; urbanization; and the impacts of
human through greenhouse gas emissions.
scientific_____literate___. he issues we humans confront do not recognize
_____borders_______. Science spans the globe impacts our ability to survive in multiple ways.
And the scientific process is not ______political______: it is a method of acquiring knowledge
and refining our understanding of the world and how it works. Now, more than ever, we need
to ensure that facts ______support______ the policy process and guide decisions about how
we manage the environment. The health of our planet, and all of its _______citizens_____, is
at stake. 

Video clip: Above the noise.

Instructions: Watch the video clip and answer the following question?

Why is there a current “March of Science”?

What does the term “hostility to facts” mean?

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How does scientific ignorance lead to environmental problems, like Climate Change, becoming
debatable, opinion-based political issues rather than being upheld as scientific facts?

PowerPoint: What is Science?

Science is mankind’s ongoing, collective, and ____systematic_______ attempt to accurately

describe and _____explain_______ the ______natural______ world.

Science does… Science does NOT…

1 verify/test Opinions/ beliefs
2 peer review individual authority
3 analyze data Moral judgments
4 natural phenomena supernatural
 Nature of Science
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Science Process Skills

Skill Defined Example
observation Using your senses to gather information Grandma’s house is empty. The
milk jug is laying spilled on the
floor.

inference Explanations for observations your make. There was an emergency.

predictions Making a statement about what will Grandma needs help

happen in the future based on past
experience or evidence.

classify Grouping together items based on some Neighbors may have information.
characteristic of the item

measure ascertain the size, amount, or degree of Which neighbor would know more
(something) by using an instrument or
device marked in standard units or by
comparing it with an object of known
size.

2 communicat the imparting or exchanging of Talk to neighbors. Call family

e information or news. members.

Criteria for Real Science

C.O.N.P.T.T.
consistent unchanging in nature, standard, or effect over time
observable Able to be noticed or perciv
Natural existing in or caused by nature or man: NOT beyond
(supernatural)
predictable behaving or occurring in a way that is expected
testable Able to be tested
Tentative not fixed: can be modified with new evidence

Is it Science?
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Real Science or Not

Real Science Meets all criteria. CONPTT Biology – Study of life
Protoscience Short of meeting all CONPTT criteria due Astrobiology, the
to limited knowledge or technology protoscientific study of
extraterrestrial life forms.
Psuedoscience Portrayed as real science but doesn’t meet Astrology – “Creationism”
all the criteria
Non-Science may be logical & based on good reasoning Beliefs/ opinions/ attitudes
but doesn’t fall in the realm of science Philosophy
Sense of esthetics
Sense of ethics
Religoin based on accepting opinions and beliefs as Buddhism – Hinduism –
facts Hellenism - Sikhism

Practice Identifying Science

Example Classification
The sun warms the Earth unevenly
I’m 100 % safe from lightning in my home.
My birthday falls under the sign of Aquarius so I am creative & loyal
There is life somewhere in the universe
Snow occurs in temperatures that are 32 degrees F or below
3 Walking under a ladder will cause bad luck.
Moses parted the sea with his rod so his people could cross to the
other side.
Cloud seeding can be used successfully to improve a ski resorts
snowfall
The meaning of life can be determined and verified
Atmospheric electricity might give us clues to climate change
Jack planted the seeds and a beanstalk grew.
**Don’t assume that Jack is Jack in the Beanstalk. That is an example of bias.**

Science Vs Religion: There is no war.

Accepts Authority Decisions Judgements Explains
Science does NOT make No moral how & when the
decisions on how to judgments Earth and life
use science formed
Religion opinions individuals makes decisions on
& beliefs have how to use science
as facts authority

Empirical Data is information derived from (gotten from) observation & experimentation.
It is recorded, analyzed, and reviewed by peers.
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Types of Data
Quantitative an amount number Numerical discrete I drink four coffees daily.
(quantity) information (counted)
Continuous I drink 80 grams of coffee
(measured) daily.
Qualitative value given details Descriptive information I drink a little
(quality) coffee.

Practice Identifying the Type of Data

Example Data Type
The cup has a mass of 454 grams. Quan
The temperature outside is 250 C quan
It is warmer outside than inside. qual
The building is taller than the trees. qual
The race was over quickly. qual
The race was over in 10 minutes. uan

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Types of Scientific Investigations
Involves Example Questions
Describing/ quantifying parts Are the frogs living in the polluted lake deformed?
Collecting data under different Are there more frog deformities in a lake polluted
conditions to make a comparison with nitrogen than a normal lake?
a fair test where 1 variable is Does increasing the amount of nitrogen exposure
actively manipulated to determine increase the rate of frog deformities?
its effects on the outcome
Redi’s Investigation
Pasture’s Investigation

What science concept do you think Redi and Pature’s investigations

supported?
Comparing the three types of Investigations
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Type Purpose Hypothesis Independent Variable Control

Descriptive draw conclusion
Comparative determine
relationship
Experimental determine cause
and effect

Practice Your Understanding

Question Investigation Type
What is the effect of sugar on yeast?
What is the temperature at location A at 12pm (noon)?
What is the difference in temperature at locations A and B at 12:00pm
(n
Does running affect the heart rate?
Does running affect the heart rate of boys and girls differently?
Does temperature affect the growth of mold?
Does mold grow best at a specific temperature?
What are the similarities and differences among prokaryotes and
eukaryotes?
5 How do the phases of the moon change throughout the month?

Metric System
Prefix kilo- hecto- deka BASE deci- centi- milli-
UNIT
meanin thousan 100 ten ones tenths .01 thousandths
g d (10) (1) (0.1) (0.001)s
(1,000)
Length kilomete hectometer dekamete meter decimete centimet millimeter
r r s r ers
Mass kilogram hectogram dekagram grams decimete centigram milligram
r
Capacity kiloliter hectoliter dekaliter liters deciliter centiliter milliliter
Metric System Trick
King Henry Died By Drinking Chocolate Milk
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Metric System Practice

1. Which prefix is the smallest? milli
2. 53kg = _53,00000_
3. The unit of measurement for length is ____meters_________
4. The unit of measurement for mass is _______grams_______
5. What happens to the decimal place when you convert from a smaller metric unit to a
larger unit? It moves to the left
6. How many meters are in 5cm?
7. How many centiliters are there in a 750ml bottle of water? 75 centiliters
8. 0.87kl = ____8700_____ dl
9. 23.5m = ____0.235_____hm
10. 536.7 mm = ____0.5367____ m
Experimental Investigation Terminology
Term Defined Example
Hypothesis testable If the (i.v) is ________________
explanation/prediction then the (d.v) will __________.
Independent The variable you are The % of nitrogen in each mini pond
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Variable testing
Dependent The response to the The % of frogs with ______deformities________ in
Variable testing variable each mini pond.
Control “the control” - gets no set of mini ponds without nitrogen added
Variable treatment/manipulation
Experimental 4 experimental groups each with a set of 10 ponds.
Groups Each group receives a different variation of the
treatment (% of nitrogen)
variables that are kept Water: temperature, impurities, amount, pH
equal across all groups Food: brand, type, amount, quantity, timing
Light: type, color, intensity, quantity, location
Atmosphere: temperature, quality, pressure
Trials The number of times the experiment is repeated
Data Table Displaying data in rows and columns
Graphs a diagram showing the relation between variables, each measured along one
of a pair of axes (X and Y)
repetition “repeating” (multiple trials) of your own investigation
replication when the investigation is “replicated” (copied) by a different investigator
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Clinical Trial Terminology

Term Defined
Placebo Effect phenomena: participants experience a benefit, report a benefit, but there
is no change to the illness.
RCT: Randomized Eligible people are ______randomly_____ _ _______asigned______ to
Controlled Trials one of several groups.
Blind Test Participants in the trial do not know if they are receiving the real
treatment or the _______placebo_____
Double blind test Neither the participants nor the experimenters know which of the groups
received the placebo

Identify the Scientific Method Step: Recognize a problem, Test Hypothesis, Form Hypothesis or Draw Conclusion.
Statement Scientific Step
Evian predicted that seeds would start to grow faster if an electric current Making a
traveled through the soil in which they were planted hypothesis
Artreyu said, “If I fertilize my geranium plants, they will blossom.” hypothesis
Jonathan’s data showed that household cockroaches moved away from raw Drawn a
cucumber slices. conclusion
Carlyn grew bacteria from the mouth on special plates in the laboratory. She Testing her
placed drops of different mouthwashes on bacteria on each plate. hypothesis
Jose saw bats catching insects after dark. He asked, “How do bats find the insects Recognize a
7 in the dark?” problem
Jamal used a survey to determine how many of her classmates were left-handed Recognize a
and how many were right-handed. problem
Abiegal wondered if dyes could be taken out of plant leaves, flowers, and stems. Recognizing a
problem
Angela’s experiment support her hypothesis that earthworms move away from Drawing a
light. conclusion

Identify the Parts of a Controlled Experiement

Question Independent Dependent Control Experimental
Variable Variable Group Group
Does light color affect lima
bean growth?
Does the amount of caffeine
affect a person’s heart rate?
Does sun exposure increase a The amount If sun effects No sun Different
person’s happiness? of sun happiness exposer amounts of
sun
Does the amount of sleep The amount An athlete’s No sleep Different
affect an athlete’s of sleep performance amounts of
performance? sleep
Does color affect a person’s
mood?
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Does the time of day affect At night Different

squirrel activity? times of day

Graphs
Graphs
Show the relationship between _______________.
Generally runs horizontal generally represents the _____________ variable
contains an X runs generally represents the _____________ variable
and Y axis

Types of Graphs
Type Purpose Example Practice
compares ____ 1. What is the IV?
sets of 2. How many
___________ experimental groups
data are there?
line segments 3. Which is the
connects points control group?
4. At which pH did
IV is usually the fastest reaction
along the X-axis occur?
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5. Which pH created
the greatest
increase in reaction
rate?
Compares _____ 1. How many students are
sets of at 160cm or less?
___________ 2. How many students are
data at 170cm or less?
3. Use the information
from questions 1 & 2 to
line segments determine how many
connects points students have a height
between 160cm and
170cm?
plots the # of
data scores that
are equal to or
less than a value

Weird Science Facts Doodle

A person’s bodily DNA can to stretch from the sun to Pluto and back – 17 times
The human body carries ten times more bacterial cells than human cells
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth (>2,000km).
Killer whales are actually dolphins
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Climate Change could be irreversible by 2030 and cause human extinction
Prehistoric whales and dolphins had legs and walked on land
Grasshoppers have ears on their bellies.

Types of Graphs Continued

Type Purpose Example Practice
compares __2__ 1. How fast does the
sets of heart beat while at
_____qualitative rest for those who do
____ data NOT exercise?
Individual points 2. How fast does the
are ______ heart beat while at
connected rest for those who
Trend is seen by exercise 5 hours a
creating a _____ week?
______ line. 3. Does the resting
Trend: As ___________ increases
correlation ________________________________. heart rate increase or
between X and Y decrease when you
exists increase the hours of
exercise per week?
compares a set of
__________ and
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quantitative data
no uniform distance
between qualitative
variables
order of bars can be
rearranged

Bars do _____ 1. How many trees

represent different categories are between 65-70
feet tall?
continuous data
2. Most trees are
bins represent ranges how tall?
CANNOT rearrange bars 3. The fewest trees
are ____ - _____
feet tall.
4. How many “bins”
are on the graph?

Use the space on the right to graph the data below.

Molecular Mass (kDa) Diffusion Rate (cm/s)
25 7
50 2
75 1.5
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100 0.75

150 2

Don’t
Types of be fooled!
Graphs When you see a trend
Continued
in a graph – do NOT assume that the
Type Purpose Example Practice
trend continues indefinitely.
data value is split 1. How many students in
into a _________ class B earned a 73%? 2
and a _________ 2. How many students in
_________ is the class A earned an ‘A’
first digit (90% or greater)?
3. Which class earned
__________ is the the most A’s? 8
last digit 4. How many students
earned a 92%? 2

___________ = exact middle

________ = interquartile range between

upper and lower

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1. What is the lowest math score?53
2. What is the highest score?97
3. What is the interquartile range?
4. What is the median score?78
5. The upper quartile scored between
__90___ and ___97___.
6. The lower quartile scored between
__53___ and __66____.

pie chart 1. Which occupation

interests the most
students? computers
shows 2. What % of students
proportions are interested in
health care?20%
arcs are 3. What % of students
proportional to are interested in a
percentage of science based field?
the whole 100%

Use the space to the right to create a “Stem & Leaf” graph the data below:
Student Grades
100 96 88 84 78 76 68 55
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100 94 86 84 78 76 64 52
98 92 84 82 76 76 62 43

Types of Argumentation
Scientific Everyday
Evidence based _____opinion___ based
Attacks evidence attacks person
logical Bias
influenced by _____empirical_______ data influenced by _____popular______ opinion
feelings & emotions are based on ______feelings______ and
_______irrelevant_______ ____emotions______

C.E.R.
CER Defined Example
Claim A statement that As temperature increases, the reactions
______answers_______ a rate will increase.
question.
It describes the
_______relationship______
between dependent and
11 independent variables
Based on observations and
evidence.
Evidence _____data____ that is used to When the temperature is increased the
support the claim. reaction was completed within a shorter
Can be qualitative or quantitative period of time.
Can come from investigations and
______________
Reasonin A justification that The First Law of
g _______connects______ the ______Thermodynamics’_____________
evidence to the claim. states that an increase in the temperature
Shows how or why the data counts of a system, results in an increase of kinetic
as evidence to support the claim. _______energy______ within that system.
Includes one or more scientific Therefore, when you increase the
principles that are important to temperature, you increase the energy of
the claim and evidence the molecules and they bounce around a
lot more. Since, they bounce around more;
they are more likely to collide. The
____________ ______________ explains
that as more collisions occur in a system,
there will be more ___________________
of molecules resulting from those collisions.
Therefore, increasing the frequency of
collisions increases the chance of molecules
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combining and _________________ _____

___________.

CER Practice
Claim Evidence Reasoning
Audi The girl’s dad is How he speaks a Aliens have their own
Commercial a space alien. different language, he language
dresses funny, he drives
a spaceship, he is from al
Doritos The Doritos dog The dog buried the cat’s He’s getting rid of the
Commercial buried the cat. collier, he bribed the evidence of killing the cat
man with Doritos to keep He bribes the ma
the man

CER Practice

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Analyze the data in the graph above. Then, complete the CER table below.
Question What is the relationship between the wolves and moose?
Claim When the moose population went uo
Evidence

Reasonin
g

CER Practice (Density = mass/Volume) Question Which object is more dense?

Item Solid A Solid B Claim A is more dense
Mass (g) 16 18 Evidence
3
Volume (cm ) 32 32
Reasonin
g
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Types of Resources
periodical anything that comes out with regular issues: newspaper,
magazines, monthly journals, book series
research report
target people who work in a particular trade
books published for a general audience
encyclopedias
give facts on particular subjects
information on words

Practice Identifying Resources

Example Source Type (primary or secondary)
novel
article analyzing the novel
letter/diaries written by historical figure
Biography of historical figure
empirical studies
statistical data
recorded speeches
13 textbooks
documentaries

Theory Vs. Law One does NOT, one CANNOT become the other!
Theory Law Both
Explains ____________ Describes ____________ supported by extensive
natural phenomena occurs (not why) under specific research & experiments
conditions
tentative
Generally a mathematical agreed upon by the majority
equation of scientist

Identify The Concept

Science Concept Purpose Fact, Law,
Theory, or
Hypothesis
Natural Selection explains/describes the method by which evolution works
Evolution organisms change over time
Universal Gravitation Used to calculate the force of gravity between two
objects.
Weather Forecasting predict conditions of the atmosphere for a given location

Lab Safety A signed “Lab Safety Contract” is required to participate in labs.

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General Safety Guidelines (check the boxes as we discuss them)

Be responsible at all times. No horse play, practical jokes, or pranks.
Follow all instructions carefully.
Do NOT touch lab equipment until instructed to do so.
No eating, drinking, or gum chewing.
Keep the science room clean and organized. Clean work area and equipment after use.
IMMEDIATELY notify the teacher of any accidents or unsafe conditions
Wash your hands with soap and water after experiments.

Safety Equipment
Object Location within the Classroom
Fire Blanket
Fire Extinguisher
Eye Wash Station

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Safety Symbols
Symbol Meaning Symbol Meaning
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What should you do if you are on fire?

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