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UNIT

13

Humans are ever curious about the universe and the world around them. And they have opinions about many things

in their world. However, discovery requires a more rigorous method than just our personal beliefs. This

i s where scientific method comes in. Scientific method is a collection of techniques to investigate phenomena

and acquire new knowledge, or correct and integrate existing knowledge.

Discussion Questions

What words come to mind when you think of ‘Scientific method’? .

What do you know about Scientific method?

.

Do you think the Scientific method is important? Why / Why not?

.

"Genius: one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration." What do you think this means?

.

How is Scientific method similar to or different from superstition? Guessing? Intuition? Hoping?

.

Prepare to speak out! In groups, talk about any

topic from your major

that interests you. Try to

speak for over a minute

about anything that

comes into your mind

about that topic. Then, it

is the next speaker’s turn

in your group to speak

out!

Scientific

Method

Did you know?

To date, four people have won a Nobel Prize

twice. Maria Sklodowska-Curie (1903 and

1911), John Bardeen (1956 and 1972), Linus

Pauling (1954 and 1962), and Frederick Sanger

(1958 and 1980). www.nobelprize.org

What is the Scientific Method?

Discoveries made with the scientific method

Write 5 discoveries in your major and the person(s) who made those discoveries. Use your smartphone. For example:

James Watson, Francis Crick and Maurice Wilkins - the Double Helix

John Bardeen, Walter Brattain and William Shockley - semiconductors and the transistor effect 1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

5 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Discussing Discoveries (Pages 144-150)

Getting Started:

“Shall I start? “

Expressing Surprise:

“That is amazing “

Evidence:

“I know this because... “

Giving an Opinion:

“In my opinion,... “

Illustrating:

“As an example,... “

With a partner, choose nine names from your lists and write

them in the tic-tac-toe grid below. Now, discuss the

discoveries each person made. There are useful phrases in

the box and in the back of the book on pages 144-150.

Scientific Method tic-tac-toe

3

Can you explain these scientific method terms and expressions? Make a

game board by connecting the boxes with lines. When you land on a

square, explain the term to your group. If you don’t know, try finding

the term in this chapter or your dictionary, or search the internet.

Scientific Method Steps

Ask a

Question

Construct a

Hypothesis

Start

Draw a

Conclusion

Analyze Data

Write a

Report

Present

Your results

Finish

Collect

Data

Test your

Hypothesis

In an Experiment

Place the statements at the bottom of the page into the fact or fiction box. Discuss each statement with your group and then decide whether it is a true statement. Write three of your own statements below. Then have your group members guess if they are true or not.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Fact or Fiction?

1 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

2 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1. Feed a cold, starve a fever. 2. Wait an hour after eating

before swimming. 3. Coffee stunts your growth. 4. Fish is

brain food. 5. Eating carrots will improve your eyesight. 6.

Reading in dim light will damage your eyes. 7. Too much TV is

bad for your eyes. 8. If you cross your eyes, they'll stay

that way. 9. Thumb sucking causes buck teeth. 10. Cracking

knuckles causes arthritis. 4

FACT FICTION

Fact or Fiction: Discussing

discussing

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6

A good scientific question has to be ___________________.

a) True

b) Testable

c) Always wrong

d) Always correct

Which of these is a good scientific question?

a) What happens when we die?

b) Is Shailene Woodley a good actress?

c) Would your best friend enjoy being a lawyer or a flight attendant more?

d) Do humans and chimpanzees share a common ancestor?

People using the scientific method usually start with

a) a hypothesis

b) a conclusion

c) a set of experiments

d) a question

Which of these questions is a good scientific question?

a) How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

b) What is the age of our planet?

c) How many ghosts are there in the room?

d) Can psychics help you win the lottery every time?

A scientific question can be based on

a) One or more observations.

b) Data from a past experiment.

c) The data and analysis contained in a published scientific paper.

d) All of the above.

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Watch the MythbustersTM video closely and answer the following questions.

1. State the hypothesis? (“If…then…because…”)

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

2. What are the control variables?

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

3. What are the independent/manipulated variable/s?

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

4. What are the dependent variable/s?

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

5. Is this a fair test (controlled experiment)? Why or why not?

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _

Discussion

Coin Flip Experiment

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Ask a Question Can you predict if a coin flip will land as heads or tails?

How does the design of your experiment affect the outcome?

Research Probability is a measure of how often a particular event will happen when something with several possible outcomes happens over and over again. The probability of a coin landing heads-up is one

example. The chance of rain is another. Determining probability requires carefully constructing

experiments, making observations, collec ting data and calculating predictions using math.

Test and Discover MATERIALS

• Paper

• Pen or pencil

• Coin

• Blueprint (pages 10-12)

Procedure PART 1 (Groups of 4) 1. Flip a coin and use the Blueprint to record your result – heads or tails on the following pages

2. Repeat 19 more times for a total of 20 flips, recording on the Blueprint as you go. Try to flip the coin the same way each time (i.e. use the same hand, same fingers, etc.).

3. Look at your results. Do you notice any trends?

4. How many times did the coin land heads up? What percentage is that of your total number of flips?

How many times did the coin land tails up? What percentage is that of your total number of flips?

5. Make a prediction – if you flip the coin 5 more times, how many times will it land heads up? How many times will it land tails up? Try it, and record your results.

6. Combine data from the entire class to see if the increased number or trials impacts the results.

PART 2 1. How does your experimental design affect the outcome of the coin flips? Repeat the steps

above, but use a different method to “flip” your coin. For example, what happens if you push

the coin off the edge of a table instead of tossing it into the air? What if you always start with

the coin heads up?

2. For each method used to flip the coin, repeat the flip 20 times. Then try another method and repeat.

3. Look for trends in your results. Does the setup of your experiment seem to affect the ultimate outcome?

Coin Flip Experiment

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Think About It • Was your prediction correct? Why do you think the results may have differed from

your prediction?

• What factors might have affected your experiment to give you different results from a partner performing

the same task?

• Think of other ways you might use probability to understand the likelihood of an event or outcome.

Results There are two possible outcomes in your average coin toss – heads or tails. And since you’re

equally likely to get heads or tails, the probability of flipping a coin and having it land heads up

is 50%. But if you look at sequence of tosses (T, H, T, T, T, H, etc.), it can get confusing. Is the

probability really 50%?

In this experiment, “user error” may also be at play. Since each individual tosses a coin – even

the same exact coin – in a slight ly different way, might that affect the outcomes? In a very small

number of tries – say 2 or 3 – it may seem that way. But as you toss again and again, the total

number of times the coin lands on heads or tails gets closer and closer to 50%.

Keep Discovering! • Play with probability by predicting the number of different colors in a bag of M&Ms™ or simila r

candy. Count the number of candies of each color in one bag and record the result. Use that

data to make a prediction of what the number of each color in another bag will be. After

making your predictions, open and see. Make sure to eat your experiment when you are

done!

• Place ten red marbles and five white marbles in a bag. Without looking, select one marble

and record the color. Put it back in the bag. Repeat ten times, then calculate the percentage of

pulling out a white marble and pulling out a red marble. Based on this percentage, you can

calculate the probability of pulling out a marble of a particular color. Make a prediction and

see what happens.

Blueprint

=

IT

TAKE A GUESS – IF YOU FLIP A COIN 100 TIMES, HOW MANY TIMES WILL IT

LAND HEADS UP? _________________

TAILS UP? _______________

WHAT MAKES YOU THINK SO?

TOSS A COIN 20 TIMES, RECORDING IF IT LANDS

HEADS UP (H) OR TAILS UP (T) EACH TIME,

Look at your results in groups of 4. Do you notice any trends?

Take the total number of heads and divide by 20 to find the percentage

of times the coin lands on each side:

# of heads up

20 X 100 %

This percentage will gives you the probability of the coin landing on

heads or ta ils. Using your data, make a prediction how many times the coin will land heads up when you flip it five more times:

“I predict the coin will land heads up

_______ times.”

Record if the coin lands on heads or tails (H or T) for each of 5 flips.

Was your prediction accurate? Why or why not?

trial heads? tails?

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1. How does your experimental design affect the outcome of the coin flips? Repeat the steps above, but

use a different method to “flip” your coin. For example, what happens if you push the coin off the edge

of a table instead of tossing it into the air? What if you always start with the coin heads up?

2. For each method used to flip the coin, repeat the flip 20 times. Then try another method and repeat.

3. Look for trends in your results. Does the setup of your experiment seem to affect the ultimate

outcome 10

Blueprint

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN #1

Describe your tossing method. Be sure to include which parts of the design remain the same and which part

(remember – only change one thing at a time) changes.

TOSS A COIN 20 TIMES, RECORDING IF IT LANDS

HEADS UP (H) OR TAILS UP (T) EACH TIME.

trial heads? tails?

0

1

2

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4

5

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totals

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Blueprint

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN #2

Describe your tossing method. Be sure to include which parts of the design remain the same and which part (remember – only change one

thing at a time) changes.

TOSS A COIN 20 TIMES, RECORDING IF IT LANDS

HEADS UP (H) OR TAILS UP (T) EACH TIME.

DOES THE SETUP OF YOUR EXPERIMENT SEEM TO

AFFECT THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME? IF SO, WHY DO

YOU THINK THAT IS? IF NOT, WHY NOT?

trial heads? tails?

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2

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totals

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2. Background Research

Writing a Scientific: Report: Graphic Organizer

1. Problem State the question(s) the experiment is

trying to solve. What problem do you wonder about?

Gather information about the

problem before the experiment.

What do you already know?

3. Hypothesis Predict what will happen in the

experiment. What do you predict will happen? Identify variables and controls.

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6. Conclusion

4. Experiment Materials—List supplies and equip-

ment used to conduct experiment.

• What supplies do you need? • What steps will you take?

Procedure—Describe the step-by- step

process on how the experiment was

performed.

5. Results Record and graph quantitative data.

What happened in your experiment? Report Qualitative observations

Summarize results.

State if hypothesis was supported

• What did you learn about your prediction?

• What new questions do you have?

or not.

Suggest improvements to the

experiment.

UNIT

When researching a hypothesis, surveys (questionnaires) are one

technique you can use to gather quantitative data to test your

hypothesis. Your group will create a survey (questionnaire) on a topic

of interest to foreigners. You will interview the foreigners. You will

analyze your data, make graphs, write a report, and finally present your

findings to the class. Possible topics include Taxis, Bus and subway

system, Shopping, Fast food restaurants, etc.

Example Survey:

How often do you eat fast food?

(a) less than 3 times a month

(b) between 3 and 10 times a month

(c) more than 10 times a month

Survey report

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Model Survey Report

16

Model Survey Report

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4

Answers to the fact or fiction game, page 4

1. False. Both high fevers and colds can cause fluid loss. Drinking plenty of liquids such as water, fruit

juice, and vegetable juice can help prevent dehydration. And with both fevers and colds, it's fine to

eat regular meals - missing nutrients may only make a person sicker.

2. False. According to the American Red Cross, it's usually not necessary for you or your child to wait an

hour before going in the water. However, it is recommended that you wait until digestion has begun,

especially if you've had a big fatty meal and you plan to swim strenuously. The Red Cross also advises

against chewing gum or eating while in the water, both of which could cause choking.

3. False. Coffee won't affect a child's growth, but too much caffeine doesn't belong in a child's diet. Excess

caffeine can prevent the absorption of calcium and other nutrients.

4. True. Fish is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids that have been found to be very important for brain

function. Certain fish, however, have significant levels of mercury. Therefore, the Food and Drug

Administration (FDA), suggests that pregnant women and women of child bearing age decrease their

exposure to mercury by either avoiding eating swordfish, shark, and tuna, or limiting their

consumption to these fish to once per month.

5. False. This tale may have started during World War II, when British intelligence spread a rumor that

their pilots had remarkable night vision because they ate lots of carrots. They didn't want the Germans

to know they were using radar. Carrots - and many other vegetables high in vitamin A - do help

maintain healthy eyesight, but eating more than the recommended daily allowance won't improve vision.

6. False. Although reading in a dimly lit room won't do any harm, good lighting can help prevent eye fatigue

and make reading easier.

7. False. Watching television won't hurt your eyes (no matter how close to the TV you sit), although too much

TV can be a bad idea for kids. Research shows that children who consistently spend more than

a. 10 hours a week watching TV are more likely to be overweight, aggressive, and slower to learn in

school.

8. False. Only about 4% of the children in the United States have strabismus, a disorder in which the eyes are

misaligned, giving the appearance that they're looking in different directions. Eye crossing does not lead to

strabismus.

9. True ... and false. Thumb sucking often begins before birth and generally continues until age 5. If a child

stops around the ages of 4 to 5, no harm will be done to his or her jaws and teeth. However, parents should

discourage thumb sucking after the age of 4, when the gums, jaw, and permanent teeth begin their most

significant growth. It is, therefore, after this age that there is a possibility that thumb, finger, or pacifier

sucking will contribute to buck teeth.

10. False. However, habitual knuckle cracking tends to cause hand swelling, decreased grip strength, and can

result in functional hand impairment.

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