Notes:Color Guide• Gold: Important concept. Write this down.

• Orange: Definition. Write this down.

• Blue: Important information, but you do not need to copy.

• Red: Example. Copy if needed.

• White: General Discussion (Don’t Copy)

Chapter 1: Intro to ScienceSection 1: The Nature of Science

What IS Science?• Definition: science – the knowledge gained by

observing and testing events.– Science is divided into many “branches”…

• Physical Science– Physics– Chemistry

• Life Science– Biology Anatomy, Virology, Botany– Zoology Marine Biology, Ornithology, Paleontology– Ecology

• Earth Science– Astronomy Cosmology, Astrophysics– Geology Volcanology, Geochemistry, Paleontology– Meteorology Climatology

Science is full of things called “laws”, “principles”, and “theories”.

What do these terms mean?– Definition: scientific theory - an explanation for

an event that is based on observations only.• A theory has no yet been proven repeatedly.

– Definition: scientific law – a statement describing an event that always happens in the universe.•Laws have been tested and proven.• “Newton’s 1st Law of Motion” is an example.

• Scientists try to describe and explain the universe using laws.

For example: why does the Earth orbit the sun?

• A theory becomes a law whenever it can be proven repeatedly under the same circumstances.

• For example:– Newton’s 1st law of Motion explains why a ball rolling

across the floor will always stop eventually.

– What makes it stop?– Friction, of course.

The Scientific Method allows scientists to test theories in a controlled manner.

– Observation: information collected about an event.

– Hypothesis: an explanation for the observed event based on the info.

– Experiment: a controlled test of the hypothesis.

– Conclusion: the final statement that tells whether the hypothesis is proven or unproven.

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• Every experiment has three types of variables…– Definition: independent variable – the factor that

YOU change in the experiment.

– Definition: dependant variable – the factor that you are measuring in the experiment.

– Definition: controlled variables – the factor(s) that do not change in the experiment.

Example: You are testing which brand of fertilizer causes the most growth in a plant.

• Independent variable:– Type of fertilizer used.

• Dependent Variable:– Height of the plant.

• Controlled Variables:– Type of plant to be used.– Amount of water & sunlight.– Amount of fertilizer.– Location of plants.

• When conducting experiments and tests, it is important to collect useful data.– Definition: data – a collection of recorded

facts about an event.•Scientists rely on data in order to draw

conclusions.

An experiment without data is…a waste of time – The conclusion does not always agree with

the hypothesis!

If the conclusion and hypothesis do not agree…

You revise the hypothesis and try again.

Back to the drawing board!

• Data is often arranged into graphs in order to visualize it better…

What does the data tell you?

Why do I care?Whether you like it or not, science is a part of your life.

The products you use.

The clothes you wear.

The transportation you ride.

The food you eat.

The devices you use .

These were all created thanks to science.

Chapter 1: Intro to ScienceSection 2: The Way Science Works

Evolution of the WHEEL

Although there are many different branches of science, all scientists follow the same procedures.

Definition: critical thinking – the process of analyzing data & information to produce a solution.

Let’s try a few examples:

Would it be possible for a man to marry his widow’s sister?No, because the man is dead!

If you have only one match and you walked into a room where there was an oil burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood burning stove, which one would you light first?

You should light the match first.

Data collection is especially important in science.• Data comes in all types. Some examples of data:

– Temperature– Distance– Composition– Speed– Time

• Most data is described using a unit of measurement.– Definition: unit – a quantity used to measure data.

• Example: Centimeters is a unit that measures length or distance.

If I said that I had 58, would it mean anything to you?58 cents? Dollars? Bananas?

• Definition: base unit – a unit that cannot be broken down into other units. There are 7 base units.– Length/Distance: meter (m)– Mass: Kilogram (kg)– Time: second (s)– Temperature: Kelvin (K)– Electric Current: Amp (A)– Molecular Weight: Mole (mol)– Luminosity: candela (cd)

We will define these units as we come across them.

• Definition: derived unit – a unit composed of 2 or more base units.There are many, many derived units. You may recognize

some, like area, volume, and speed.

– Example: km/h (kilometers per hour) is a derived unit.

• Km/h is a unit of speed. It is derived from distance and time.

Scientists use SI when they take measurements.

– Definition: SI – a complete system of units for scientists that is the same worldwide.•SI means “system international”.

– Some examples of NON-SI units:• Pounds• Inches• Feet• Miles• Ounces• Cups• Gallons

Most of these units are used only in the USA.

Many SI units are based on the metric system.Units can be made larger or smaller by adding a prefix.

– Definition: metric prefix – a name placed before a unit that changes the amount of that unit.

– Metric Prefixes:• Kilo (1000)• Hecto (100)• Deka (10)• Deci (.1)• Centi (.01)• Milli (.001)

Kilogram

Prefix Base Unit

Examples:• 5 kilograms is the same as 5000 grams.

• 10 centimeters is the same as .01 meters.• 10 millimeters is the same as 1 centimeter.

Science & Technology• Definition: technology – the use of science for

practical purposes.

– Technology does not only include high-tech devices like computers or cell phones…

– Technology is ANYTHING created by applying scientific knowledge.

Why do I care?You think units and technology aren’t important?

Units are everywhere…

And technology continues to evolve…

You’d be a fool not to notice it all around you.