Scientific Inquiry and Analysis

Prologue – The Nature of ScienceText Pages 1-11

Objective 1 Question ?Acknowledge

contributions to science by various cultures

How did the advent of the printing press affect the growth of science?

Brief History of Advances in Science

4th and 3rd centuries BC – Greece made great advances in science that spread through the Mediterranean world

5th century AD - Scientific advance came to a dramatic halt in Europe when the Roman Empire fell

Reason gave way to religion which ushered in the Dark Ages

During this time, the Chinese and Polynesians were charting the stars and the planets

Brief History of Advances in Science

10th , 11th, and 12th centuries – Greek science was reintroduced to Europe by Islamic influences in Spain

13th , and 14th centuries – Universities emerged and the introduction of gunpowder changed the social and political structure in Europe

15th century – Art and science were blended by Leonardo da Vinci

16th century – advent of the printing press

Brief History of Advances in Science

16th century – Polish astronomer Copernicus said the sun (not the earth) is the center of the universe and Galileo was arrested for his scientific notions

1800’s:Geologists propose theories for creation of the

universeTheories of evolution are proposed

**Society often condemns forward-thinking scientists because people want to hold on to their preconceived ideas

Class Assignment

Get onto your working groupsUsing your chromebooks, research information on the

history of science, noting dates and accomplishments (include at least 10 dates/accomplishments spread over a long period of time)

Then go to a timeline creator website, for example:http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactiv

es/timeline_2/

Make a timeline of scientific advances, using the information you found – include the date, short description and long description for each, and add pictures, videos and songs if you like.

Save your timeline because your group will present it at our next class meeting!

ClosureThink of at least

five important scientific advancements

Describe how your life would be different if they hadn’t been made

HomeworkRead Prologue in

textbook (pages 1-11), taking Cornell notes

Write definitions of science terms in your ISNB

Answer both reading check questions and exercises in your ISNB

Objective 2 Question ?List the steps in the

scientific method and cite other methods that advance science

What else besides the common scientific method advances science?

Scientific MethodPrinciples and

procedures for the systematic pursuit of knowledge involving: the recognition and

formulation of a problem

the collection of data through observation and experimentation

the formulation and testing of hypotheses

Scientific Method1. Observe – closely observe the physical world

around you. Recognize a question such as an unexplained observation.

2. Question – make an educated guess – hypothesis – to answer the question.

3. Predict – predict consequences that can be observed if the hypothesis is correct. The consequences should be absent if the hypothesis is not correct!

4. Test predictions – do experiments to see if the consequences you predicted are present.

5. Draw a conclusion – formulate the simplest general rule that organizes the hypothesis, predicted effects, and experimental findings.

Scientific Method - Example1. Observe – I have a type of plant in my garden

that does not grow well even though it gets enough water and sun.

2. Question – I believe that the plant is getting too much sun and needs less direct sunlight.

3. Predict – If I am correct, this type of plant will grow better in indirect sun.

4. Test predictions – I could plant some of these plants in direct sun and some in indirect sun and measure their growth.

5. Draw a conclusion – If the plants grow better in indirect sun, my hypothesis was correct. If not, I have to come up with another hypothesis!

Scientific Method

Progress in science can also come from:Trial and errorExperimentation

without a hypothesisAccidental discovery

Class AssignmentComplete the following:

“Cell Phone Use and cancer: A Case Study to Explore the Scientific Method”

1. Part I - read the case study together2. Get onto your working groups3. Answer the questions at the bottom of Part I4. Part II (journal groups) – I will hand out

articles on phone use and cancer - each person in a group must read at least one article - then answer the questions together.

5. Part III (scientific article) – Read the epidemiology research paper “Mobile Phone Use and the Risk of Acoustic Neuroma” and then answer the questions together.

ClosureThink of and

describe a simple example of how you could use the scientific method to solve a problem in your life (use all of the steps).

HomeworkWatch the video at

the following link Take Cornell notes

on the video in your ISNB

Scientific Method Video

Objective 3 Question ?Describe how honest

inquiry affects the formulation of facts, laws, and theories

Why does falsifying information discredit a scientist but not people in other occupations?

Science TermsFact – a phenomenon about which competent

observers who have made a series of observations are in agreement

Hypothesis – An educated guess; a reasonable explanation of an observation or experimental result that is not fully accepted as factual until tested over and over by experimentation

Law (principle) – A general hypothesis or statement about the relationship of natural quantities that has been tested over and over and has not be contradicted

Theory – A synthesis of a large body of information that encompasses well-tested and verified hypotheses about certain aspects of the natural world.

The Scientific AttitudeScience is always evolving

and hypotheses may need to be changed (Aristotle and Galileo)

Scientists must accept their findings even if it is not what they hoped to find

More important than defending beliefs is improving them

In science it is more important to have a means of proving an idea wrong than to have a means of proving it right

Science and TechnologyScience – the gathering and organizing of

knowledgeTechnology – the use of knowledge for

practical purposes which provides the tools scientists need to conduct their investigations

Technology – can be both useful and harmful (burning of fossil fuels); it is a tool and what we do with it is up to us!

Risk assessment – weighing the benefits of technology with the risksAspirinSewageRadioactive wastes

Class AssignmentComplete the following:

“How a Cancer trial Ended in Betrayal”

1. Part I - read the case study together2. Get onto your working groups3. Answer the questions at the bottom of Part I4. Part II – In your groups, read and discuss the different roles involved in clinical trials5. Part III – the class will be broken into 3 groups to complete their tasks as described in the case study:

a. the scientist groupb. the clinician groupc. the Peugeot-Snyder group

ClosureThink of an

example of technology used today and describe how it can be both useful and harmful.

HomeworkAccess my Scientific

Method PowerPoint on my website

Read through the slides on the scientific method

Take Cornell notes in your ISNB