chapter 1 what is life science? section 1: thinking like a scientist what skills do scientists use...

Chapter 1 What is Life Science?

Section 1: Thinking Like a Scientist

What skills do scientists use to learn about the world?


Thinking Like a Scientist

2) INFERRING When you explain or interpret your observations, you are making an inference.

1) OBSERVING By patiently observing chimpanzees, Jane Goodall learned many things about chimpanzee behavior.

3) PREDICTING Predictions are forecasts of what will happen next.

4) CLASSIFYING Field notes like these contain many details about a chimp’s daily activities.


Chimp Food

This graph shows the diet of chimps at Gombe National Park during May of one year.


Fruit, seeds, leaves, meat, insects, blossoms, and other foods

Chimp FoodReading Graphs:

According to the graph, what foods do chimps eat?


Chimp Food

Seeds

Interpreting Data:

Did chimps feed more on seeds or leaves during this month?


Chimp Food

95%

Calculating:

What percentage of the diet did blossoms, seeds, leaves, and fruit make up?


Chimp Food

Insects will constitute a much greater portion of the chimps diet, with other food diminishing proportionately.

Predicting:

Suppose you learn that November is the main termite-fishing season, when chimps spend a large part of their time eating termites. Predict how the chimp diet might change in November.


Making Models

This model traces a chimp’s journey through the forest.

Making models involves creating representations of complex objects or processes.

Models must always “be to scale”. A scale model accurately shows the proportions between its parts. It can be much smaller or larger than the original.


Examples of Scale Models

This model airplane is much smaller than the original object.


Examples of Scale Models

This cell model is much larger than the original object.


End of Section: Thinking Like

a Scientist


Section 2: The Study of Life

How are the branches of life science related?

What are some big ideas in life science?


Branches of Life Science

Though life science can be divided into branches,

the different fields of study often overlap.


Overlapping Branches of Life Science

Entomology Ecology


Big Ideas in Life Science

Biologists investigate a wide variety of things, but the same ideas keep coming up again and again, such as:

• Organisms (living things) are different, but they share many characteristics.

• Groups of organisms evolve (change) over time.


Big Ideas in Life Science

Biologists investigate a wide variety of things, but the same ideas keep coming up again and again, such as:

• An organism’s body structure and its’ function complement each other.

• Organisms follow the same physical rules that the rest of the natural world follows.


End of Section: The Study of Life


Section 3: Scientific Inquiry

What is scientific inquiry?

What makes a hypothesis testable?


Scientific Process

• Scientists usually investigate the natural world using the Scientific Process.

• Allows scientists to:• ask questions• propose explanations• make experiments• collect evidence• write down data• communicate with other scientists


Step # 1: Pose a Question

Scientific Inquiry usually begins with a problem or a question about something you observed.

Which of these questions can NOT be investigated by a scientist?

A) “Does my cat eat more food in the morning or at night?”

B) “Which makes a better pet: A dog or a cat?”

C) “Does my dog bark more on hot days or on cold days?”


Step # 2: Develop a Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a possible explanation or answer to a scientific question.

It is based on previous experiences or observations.

It is almost like an educated guess.

IT MUST BE TESTABLE! In other words, can you make an experiment to prove your “guess” is correct?


Step # 3: Design an Experiment

An experiment is a way to test if your hypothesis is correct or not.

Must have two types of variables:

1.dependent variable (also called the “responding variable”)

2.independent variable (also called the “manipulated variable”).

Your experiment must be under constant control. In other words, all other variables MUST remain the same except the one thing that you are testing.


Step # 4: Collecting and Interpreting Data

A data table helps you organize the information you collect in an experiment.

By graphing this data, you may end up revealing patterns.


Step # 5: Draw Conclusions

•What are the results telling you?

•What did you learn?

•What can you do differently the next time?

Even if your hypothesis was wrong, you still learned something!


Step # 6: Communicating

You MUST tell other people about what you learned. Otherwise, what was the point of doing your experiment?

» E-mail» Letters» Text» Reports» Phone calls» Media (TV, newspapers, magazines)


The Nature of Inquiry

There is no set path that a scientific inquiry must follow.

Pose Questions

Communicate

Draw Conclusions

Form a Hypothesis

Design an Experiment

Collect and Interpret Data


End of Section: Scientific Inquiry

chapter 1 what is life science? section 1: thinking like a scientist what skills do scientists use...

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