The Methods Of Science
- 1. The Methods of Science Science: method for studying the natural world Life, Earth, Physical science Explains the natural world Scientists learn by investigation observation, experimentation, or modeling
- 2. Scientific Method State a problem Gather information Form a hypothesis A possible explanation Test the hypothesis
- 3. Testing a Hypothesis Experiments with variables Dependant variable changes values as other variables change Independent variable is changed to determine how it will affect the dependent variable A variable that does not change when other variables change is a constant A control is the standard to which test results are compared
- 4. Analyze data from experiment or investigation Form a conclusion based on the data Reduce bias by keeping accurate records Repeating the experiment Using data that is measurable
- 5. Standards of Measurement Standard Exact quantity that people agree to use for comparison Measurements must be taken carefully Precise: how closely measurements are to each other Accurate: how closely measurement is to real or accepted value
- 6. International System of Units: SI Based on the metric system multiples of 10 Used by scientists worldwide
- 7. Distance Measure distance between 2 points SI unit of measure is the Meter: about a baseball bat in length Volume Amount of space occupied by an object 1 L= 1 dm 3 = 10 cm 3 = 1000 ml
- 8. Mass A measurement of the quantity of matter in an object Density is a combination of units derived unit Mass/volume Aluminum vs. iron
- 9. Time Interval between 2 events SI unit seconds Temperature Measure of how hot or cold something is SI unit is Kelvin K 0 K is the coldest possible temperature -273 ºC = 0 K
- 10. Communicating with Graphs Visual display of information or data Used to detect patterns Line graph Shows a relationship where the dependent variable changes due to a change in the independent variable x axis = independent variable y axis = dependent variable
- 11. Bar graph compares information collected by counting Each bar represents a quantity counted at a particular time Circle graph shows how a whole is broken into parts The parts represent percentages of the whole