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?
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