Introduction to Science

What is Science?

• Science is the study of the world around us• Scientists question what they find around them

and carry out carefully planned tests to find answers to their questions

The Branches of Science

• Astronomy is the science of the planents, starts and the universe

• Biology is the study of living things like animals, plants, microscopic bacteria and viruses

• Chemistry is the study of materials, chemicals and chemical reactions and how they might be used

• Ecology is the science of how living theings affect each other and the environment in which they live

• Geology is the science of rocks, the Earth, earthquakes, volcanoes and fossils

• Physics is the science of forces and energy

• Psychology is the science of how and why we behave the way we do

Science Equipment

• Tools and equipment are a necessary part of the job to help carry out experiments and to help them describe what they observe more accurately

Glassware

• Such as beakers, conical flasks, test tubes and watch glasses allow you to mix and heat chemicals.

Balances

• Electronic and spring balances are used to measure mass of an object

Heating equipment

• Hotplates and Bunsen burners are important pieces of equipment, and can be dangerous pieces of equipment

• Additional equipment to help heat objects are: tongs and pegs, tripod, bench mat

Drawing Science Equipment Correctly

• Scientists draw equipment in 2D only

• This makes drawings much simpler and quicker to draw

1. Draw the item as if it is cut in half, drawing just the outline

2. Use a pencil so you can correct mistakes

3. Never use colour, shading or coloured pens

4. Use a ruler for all straight lines

5. Add labels where necessary

Lab Safety

Do:

• Wear a lab coat for practical work

• Keep your workbooks and paper away from heating equipment, chemicals and flames

• Tie long hair back whenever you use a Bunsen burner

• Wear safely glasses while mixing or heating substances

• Tell your teacher immediately if you cut or burn yourself

• Tell your teacher immediately if you break any glassware or spill chemicals

• Wash your hands after any experiments

• Listen and follow the teacher’s instructions

• Light Bunsen burners with matches, never with paper or other materials

• Wear gloves when your teacher instructs you to.

Don’t

• Run in a laboratory

• Push others or behave roughly in a laboratory

• Eat in a laboratory

• Drink from glassware or laboratory taps

• Look down into a container or point it at a neighbour when heating or mixing chemicals

• Smell gases or mixtures of chemicals directly. Instead waft them near your nose, and only when instructed

• Mix chemicals at random

• Put matches, paper or other substances down the sink

• Carry large bottle by the neck

• Enter a preparation room without your teachers permission

The Bunsen Burner

• One of the most important and dangerous pieces of equipment you will use in the lab

• The collar controls the amount of air that enters the burner and controls the heat and the colour of the flame

• When lighting a Bunsen burner, the collar must be turned so the airhole is closed

• This will produce a visible yellow flame, known as a safety flame

• If the airhole is open, the flame is noisy and sometimes difficult to see

• It is blue in colour

• At the base of the flame is a small cone of unburnt gas; the hottest part of the flame is above this cone

Keeping things Under Control

• Independent variable the variable that the scientists changes to observe its effect on another variable

• Dependent variable a variable that is expected to change when the independent variable is changed

• Fair testing only one variable is changed at a time and all variables must be controlled (kept the same)

• Sometimes it is not possible to control all the variables, and this could make your data unreliable

• To reduce the effect of errors (maybe due to measurement carelessness, or a minor change in method); measurements should be repeated a number of times and an average calculated

Reporting on Investigations

• Aim a statement about why you did the experiment

• Materials a list of equipment and chemicals that were used

• Method an account of what was done

• Results a presentation of your data in the form of observation lists, tables and graphs

• Discussion an explanation of your results and a description of any difficulties you had with the experiment

• Conclusion a brief account of what you found out and how your findings relate to your aim