nature of scientific inquiry

Nature of Scientific Inquiry

“how to do science”

AP BIO• 1. Design experiment to test 600X size. Turn in forms…• 2. Revamp on schedule … summer stuff due Tues w/

test due to new students, etc.• 3. Lab safety.

4. Doing science.5. Lab – Fish homeostasis

Put on a poster what you might put in a lab report. ( one per group)6. Set up grow me.7. Lab Safety quiz HW…and summer HW

Lab Report

• Problem• Hypothesis• Materials• Methods• Data • Conclusion

1. Observations

• Observe some aspect of your world. Learn what you can about it and form a question.

Test your observation.flv.wmv

Observation test.wmv

2. Develop a Hypothesis• …an education guess, not a blind one.• Using your hypothesis as a guide, make a prediction.• Sometimes take the form of an “if-then” statement.• “null hypothesis” The null hypothesis is a hypothesis

which the researcher tries to disprove, reject or nullify.

Read more: http://www.experiment-resources.com/null-hypothesis.html#ixzz0PFpTDGN4

3. Test• Devise a test w/ systematic observations,

building models and or conducting experiments.Whenever possible a good experiment has:1. quantitative data ( #s)2. limited to one variable3. a control – standard for comparison4. can be repeated (avoid sampling error)

Physics• Turn in forms, wordle for stamp• Warm up…Picture find lab errorshttp://expedioscientiam.net/school/resources/

what_not_to_do_600.pdfLab SafetyHow to do Science NotesLabEquipment sheet (HW)Lab Safety Quiz

DRY MIX

• DRY – dependant responding variable (on y axis)

• MIX – manipulated independent varialbe (on X axis)

“the scientific method”

• Not a fixed numbered procedure.• A fluid continuously modified process.• More of a logical approach to problem

solving….• SCIENCE has to be “testable”.

SCIENCE is NOT an opinion or belief.Beliefs and science do have to be mutually

exclusive.

About the word “theory”…stronger than in our ordinary language.Means that researchers have tested its predictive

power many times and in many ways in the natural world and have yet to find evidence that disproves it.

Ex: theory or natural selection, Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Still don’t say it is absolute truth…but that it has a high probability of being true.

Scientists keep their eyes open for any new information and new tests that might disprove its premises.

Limits of Science

• Not everything can be “tested”.• Subject to our worldview ( ask Galileo)• Personal bias (funding)• Limited by our technology