Science Is Notes

Science Is…Science Is…Science Is…Science Is…

Unit 1: An Introduction To Physical Science Unit 1: An Introduction To Physical Science

Part 1 NOTES (Text: Prologue)Part 1 NOTES (Text: Prologue)

What?!• What do people do when they

cannot explain something?• What do people do when they do

not understand something?• Actions usually fall into 3

categories:– Science (Physical Data, How?)– Arts (Emotions)– Religion (Spiritual, Why?)

What is SCIENCE?• The orderly search for answers to

our questions about the world we live in.

• How do scientists “orderly search for answers to problems and questions”?

• The questioning is called SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY.

• The steps of problem solving are called

the SCIENTIFIC METHOD.

How do scientists work?

• Questioning/ Inquiry• Experimentation• Trial & Error

SCIENCE: What is the difference between

Pure & Applied Science?

• Pure Science– motivated by curiosity – Example: PHYSICS

• Applied Science– designed to answer specific questions– Example: ENGINEERING

Pseudoscience• “pseudo-”

– is a prefix that means “false”

• Pseudoscience is a “false science”.• Pseudoscience:

– makes predictions– cannot support hypotheses BASED ON DATA.– cannot draw valid conclusions BASED ON

DATA.

• Examples:– Astrology– Some fetal gender predictors– Palm Reading

Science Skills• Analysis• Communication• Evaluation• Experimentation• Inference• Mathematics• Observation• Organization• Problem Solving• Research• Scientific Measurement

Scientists must be:• Accurate• Clear• Cooperative• Curious• Expressive• Objective• Open to discussion• Productive

Science & Math• Science can be described and

analyzed mathematically.

• Math allows scientists to compare measurable data.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE• PHYSICS-

– Motion– Force– Energy– Matter– Heat– Sound – Light

• CHEMISTRY-– What is matter composed of?– How do molecules combine to form

materials around us?

• To understanding living things, you must understand chemistry.

• You must understand physics to understand chemistry.

Science GONE BAD• Salem Witch Trials• Blood Letting• Many other Past Medical

Treatments

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

• What technology do we use everyday?

• What do we use technology for in Science?

• Why do we have technology?

Good or Bad? What are our general feelings

about technology? What are the advantages? What are the disadvantages?

Risk Assessment• What risks are there in scientific

improvements?• When do the benefits outweigh the

risk?• Who decides now? Who should

decide?• What are ETHICS?

What is a THEORY?• Scientific Theory:

– Group of verified hypotheses about certain aspects of the natural world.

– Theories may change as scientists learn more about the topic.

– Examples:• The Theory of Evolution• The Theory of the Big Bang• The Theory of Plate Tectonics

What is a LAW?• Scientific Law or Principle:

– Something that has been tested over and over again and has not been contradicted.

– Examples:• The Law of Gravity• Newton’s Laws

Fact & Speculation• Scientists rarely say that information is factual.• Fact- BASED ON DATA• a generally close agreement among competent

observers studying the same thing.• A fact can be “disproved” if experimental data

shows otherwise.• Speculation- a statement that cannot be

tested to be correct and/ or incorrect.• Can you make a speculation?• “Intelligent life exists on another planet

somewhere else in the universe”

Acceptable Information• You cannot test everything.

Sometimes you just have to take someone’s word for something.

• What information is “acceptable”?

Criteria for determining if information is

“acceptable”

• Comes from a RELIABLE source.• Is TESTABLE.• Is NOT funded or conducted by a

stakeholder.

QUESTIONS?

What QUESTIONS will we answer this year?