EnvironmentalScience
Chapter 1 Notes #1
Definitions
Pure Science• Ex. – Number of stars in solar system
• Ex. – Comparison of plant and animal cells
• Seeks to answer questions about how things work
Applied Science• Engineering, Medicine
• Solving problems/Technology
Definitions
Environmental Science• Applied Science
• Uses many different sciences• chemistry, botany, zoology, meteorology
• Mainly ecology (how living things interact with other living and nonliving things)
• How humans interact with their environment
Scientific Method
Systematic Approach to solving problems Many Steps 1. Problem/Purpose
• Ex. Bean Plant Experiment: You are testing a new fertilizer for a company to see if it is more effective at growing larger plants at a faster rate…..
2. Hypothesis• Our background knowledge tells us it should be better
Scientific Method (2)
Experiment:• Materials:
• Procedure• Control
• Constants
• Dependent Variable (Depends on independent)
• Independent Variable (you are in control)
Scientific Method (3)
Observations/ Data• Qualitative
• Quantitative
• Qualitative Vs. Quantitative Data• Examples – pink, big, cold
• Examples – 20 books, 42 meters, 12 degrees
Conclusion (analysis)• What did you find
• Errors
Graphs – Part of Conclusion
Circle, Bar and Line• Percentages
• Comparison
• Growth/Change
Graphs Need• Size
• Labels,
• Titles