Scientific

Endeavour
Chapter 1 – Ms. Olin
 Learning Outcomes
Here’s the learning out comes of this chapter:

● Shows an awareness that science is not confined to the

laboratory, but is manifested in all aspects of our lives.
● Shows a healthy curiosity about the natural and physical world.
● Define science as the systematic study of the world around us
and technology as the application of scientific knowledge for
practical purposes.
 0
1
What is
Science?
 What is Science?
or
1. Science is concerned with understanding how nature and the physical world
work.
2. Science can prove anything, solve any problem, or answer any question.
3. Any study done carefully and based on observation is scientific.
4. Science can be done poorly.
5. Anything done scientifically can be relied upon to be accurate and reliable.
6. Different scientists may get different solutions to the same problem.
7. Knowledge of what science is, what it can and cannot do, and how it works,
is important for all people.
Science is concerned with understanding how nature
and the physical world work.

Science is a process by which we try to understand how the natural and

physical world works and how it came to be that way.
 Science can prove anything, solve any
problem or answer any question.

• Science actually attempts to disprove ideas (hypotheses).

• Science is limited strictly to solving problems about the
physical and natural world.
• Explanations based on supernatural forces, values or ethics
can never be disproved and thus do not fall under the realm
of science.
 Any study done carefully and based
on observation is scientific.

• Science must follow certain rules.

• The rules of science make the scientific process
as objective as is possible.

Objective = Not influenced by feelings, interests and prejudices; UNBIASED

vs.

Subjective = Influenced by feelings, interests and prejudices; BIASED

 Science can be done poorly.

Anything done scientifically can be relied upon to

be accurate and reliable.

• Science can be done poorly, just like any other human endeavor.

• Quality control mechanisms in science increase the reliability of its product.

 Different scientists may get different solutions to the
same problem.

• Results can be influenced by the race, gender, nationality,

religion, politics or economic interests of the scientist.

• Sampling or measurement bias can result in different

solutions to the same problem.
Knowledge of what science is, what it can and cannot do, and how
it works, is important for all people.

People need to be able to evaluate scientific information in

order to make informed decisions about:

• Health care
• Environmental issues
• Technological advances
• Public health issues
 0
1
What is
Science?
Science can be thought of as both a body of
knowledge (the things we have already
discovered), and the process of acquiring new
knowledge (through observation and
experimentation—testing and hypothesising).

Both knowledge and process are interdependent, since

the knowledge acquired depends on the questions asked
and the methods used to find the answers.
Lesson trigger

What is Science?
• The study of Science is not confined to the
laboratory.
• Doing research and conducting experiments
out of a laboratory allow scientists to collect
data which cannot be obtained in the
laboratory.
• Science is the study of the natural and physical world.
• Area of study of the natural world:
• Organisms
• Area of study of the physical world:
• Energy
• Matter
• Structure of matter and its interactions A scientist goes on a field trip to study
coral reefs
“ Science without religion is lame,
religion without science is blind….”

—Albert Einstein
 Sciences
Chemistr
Biology Physics
y Study of Life

Natural science known as empirical sciences. This means that any theories must be based on
observable phenomena, reproducibility of results and peer review.
The most interesting thing about science is that it’s never finished. Every discovery leads
to more questions, new mysteries, to something else that needs explaining

Two important reasons for studying Biology:

 Biology is relevant to our everyday experience
 Medical advances
 Addressing needs of growing human population
 Challenges of decreasing rate of biodiversity
 Biotechnology advances
 What is good science?

Objectivity is the key to good science.

To be objective, experiments need to be designed

and conducted in a way that does not introduce
bias into the study.
 02
How is scientific
knowledge derived?
- The Scientific Method
 scientific method
The Scientific Method is a systematic way of finding answers to questions
that we ask, based on observation of the things we see around us

The scientific method requires us to use scientific inquiry skills when

we explore the world
 6 1
New Idea/ theory Ask Question

5 Scientific 2
The explanation is
accepted Method Suggest an
explanation

4 3
Check evidence Test the explanation
 Ask a question
What does a tree use to build its (investigation)
trunk and leaves? What are trees made off?

Explanation/hypothesis
Tentative explanation to the
question.
Trees are made from nutrients which they
take from the soils

Theory
There must be a Test the explanation
different Take careful measurements.
explanation Does a tree take anything from soil
as it grows?

YES Check the evidence

NO Take careful measurements.
The explanation Does a tree take anything from soil
is accepted as it grows?
 A new explanation and more
evidence
Malphigi’sevidence
Malphigi’s evidence Hale’s evidence

To develop explanations,
scientist:
- Ask questions
- Suggest explanations
- Carry out test
- Collect and consider
evidence

If a seedling’s leaves are removed, When hales grew a plant over

it stops growing water, the water level rose
How is Scientific Knowledge Derived?
— The Scientific Method

1. Engaging with an event

• We obtain information as we
interact with the world around us.
When we encounter a puzzling
situation that catches our attention,
we pose questions to obtain more
information and generate ideas.
• We also propose a hypothesis to
form a possible explanation for the
observation. This hypothesis needs
to be further tested.
How is Scientific Knowledge Derived?
— The Scientific Method
2. Collecting and presenting evidence
• Decide on what kind of evidence
to collect. We make use of our five
senses — sight, smell, hearing,
taste and touch — to make
observations as we collect
evidence.
• We also use instruments to
extend our range of senses and
gather more accurate information.
• The evidence collected may be
descriptive information
(qualitative) or measurable
information (quantitative).
How is Scientific Knowledge Derived?
— The Scientific Method

3. Making meaning of information and

evidence
• We analyse the results of our
experiment to identify trends. This
involves comparing or classifying the
data obtained.
• We derive conclusion(s) based on the
trends identified. We also
evaluate the accuracy of the results of
the experiment. If our results are
inconsistent with our hypothesis, we
refine our hypothesis and test it again.
1.3 How is Scientific Knowledge Derived?
— The Scientific Method
Science — The human endeavour

• A scientific breakthrough is not usually achieved by one scientist

alone.
• It takes the combined efforts of many scientists over many years
to build the scientific knowledge we have today.
• Scientific knowledge is thus subject to changes as new
observations are made and new evidence is found.
Thousands of years ago, it was not well-
known that the earth revolves around the
sun, nor that other planets existed.
1.3 How is Scientific Knowledge Derived?
— The Scientific Method

Aristotle
• A famous scientist from ancient Greece.
• He believed that the sun revolved around
the earth.
Ptolemy
• An astronomer from ancient Egypt.
• He believed that the earth was the centre
of the universe.

For many years, people shared the beliefs of

Ptolemy and Aristotle.
 Science Inquiry
03
Science inquiry is a way of practicing science. In
encouraging science inquiry, students use similar
methods of evidence and reasoning just like
scientists do when conducting scientific research.
 Here are some attitudes of good science
Attitude Description
Scientist must be accurate and thrutful about their recors
Integrity and information. They should only report what they have
discovered and not what they think people would like to
hear.

Scientific inquiry involves creative thought and lateral

thinking. Research involves looking at new areas of
Creativity science so originality and creativity are essential
characteristic for successful research.

Scientist should not be put off it at first they are not

successful in obtaining the desired result. Determination
Perseverance
is very important as many scientific investigation are
extremely complex and can’t be solved in short period.
 After the scientist has defined the problem, he must make
Keen careful observations and accurate measurements with
Observation help of appropriate scientific instruments.

Scientist must think systematically and analyse the

Objectivity
evidence to make accurate hypotheses and inferences.
Not jump to conclusions.

Willingness to They publish their findings to other to read and carryout

share similar experiment before the scientific theory is
confirmed.

Open
Scientist must be flexible in thought.
mindedness

Curiousity Scientist must be curious and keen to continually ask the

question ‘why’
 Scientific Skills
Observing

Inferring

Communicating

Planning
 Example of scientific method
1. Observation
You are walking in the garden. You notice that some plants
grow in the shade of larger plants. You pose a question:
“

2. Hypothesis
This is your proposal to what your observation means.
Suppose here, your hypothesis is:
“
3. Experimentation

Next, you plan and test your hypothesis. You plan and carry
out the following test:
a.
b.
 4. Inferences
Suppose you infer the following based on your result:
“”
This confirm the hypothesis.

5. Theory

Suppose you infer the following based on your result:

“”
The hypothesis now becomes a theory.
Variables in Science
Experiments
s a n
m a ke r” ?
a t “ f a i
Wh m e nt
e r i
exp
 Variables
● A variable is something that is
changed
● A constant, or control, is something
that does not change
 Science experiments use…
● Independent Variable: the one factor that is
changed by the person doing the experiment

● Dependent Variable: the factor which is

measured in the experiment

● Constants: all the factors that stay the same in

an experiment
 A birdy example…
Imagine you want to see what color of bird
feeders your local birds preferred.

Red? Blue? Green?

Our Constants and Variables
● Independent Variable: color of the feeders
● Dependent Variable: amount of seed eaten
● Constants: everything else that is kept the same, for
example:
○ the location of the feeders
○ the kind of feeder used
○ putting the feeders out at the same time
 Our Experimental
Constants
Design
Location of feeders
Kind of seed
Type of feeder

Independent
Variable Red Blue Green

Dependent Amount of Seed Amount of Seed Amount of Seed

Variable Eaten Eaten Eaten
 If everything except
the independent
variable is held
constant, we can say:
The experiment is FAIR.

(ONLY the independent

variable can change!)
Why is it important
to only change the
independent
variable?
 If you don’t…

If you measure a change in the dependent

variable, you won’t know whether it is the
independent variable that is causing the
change.

Independent Variable
 Is Sam’s experiment fair?

YES? NO?

NO! It isn’t fair since the locations of the feeders were very
different!
Is Maria’s experiment fair?

YES? NO?

YES! It seems fair since Maria only changed the

feeder color!
Is Jessie’s experiment fair?

YES? NO?

NO! It isn’t fair since the feeders are not out

at the same time, and we know that the
weather was quite different each time.
Perhaps the number and kind of birds that
visited during the weeks were different
due to the weather.
 What do you think?
Terry loves birds and wants to see as many as she
can in her yard. She wants to know whether she
is wasting money buying an expensive mixed
seed, when a cheaper brand just arrived at her
local store. She wonders… will the expensive
seed attract more birds to her back yard?

How would you advise

her to find out if the
expensive seed is better?
 Terry’s Experimental
Design
Independent
Variable
?

Dependent
Variable
?

Constants
?
 Terry’s Experimental
Independent
Variable
Design
Kind of seed:
$
Expensive Cheap

Dependent Number (and perhaps kinds) of

birds that visit
Variable

Constants  Location of feeders

Type of feeder
Way she measures the amount of
seed eaten and the way she counts
birds
 What experiments are you planning?

• What are your variables?

• How will you keep your experiment fair?
A Picture
Is Worth
a
Thousan
d Words
 Thanks
!
Do you have any questions?
[email protected]
+6285246439363
Highfield Secondary School Bekasi

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