scientific method (inquiry)
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Scientific Method (Inquiry). What is the scientific method…. ?. process. The scientific method is a ______ for answering questions. What is Science? or . True. False. Here are a few statements to test your current understanding of science!. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Scientific Method (Inquiry)
What is the scientific method…..
?The scientific method is a ______
for answering questions.process
What is Science?
or
Here are a few statements to test your current
understanding of science!
Science actually attempts to disprove ideas (hypotheses).Science is limited strictly to solving problems about the physical and natural world.
Science can prove anything, solve any problem or answer any
question.True or False?
False
Any study done carefully and based on observation is scientific.
Science must follow certain rules. The rules of science make the scientific process as OBJECTIVE as is possible.
Objective = Not influenced by feelings, interests and prejudices; UNBIASED
vs. Subjective = Influenced by feelings, interests and prejudices; BIASED
False
Different scientists may get different solutions to the same problem.
Understanding Experimental Design
A process of discovery…
The Controversy Over Spontaneous GenerationQuestion: What causes tiny living things to appear in decaying broth? Needham’s Hypothesis: Spontaneous generation-Life forms arose from non-living matter.
Spallazani’s Hypothesis: Microbes come from the air. Boiling the broth will kill them.
1700’s
John Needham
Lazzaro Spallanzani
NeedhamOpen flask >
SpallazaniClosed flask >
Experimental Designs with
flaws
Louis Pastuer …disproved the idea of spontaneous generation of life.
1800’s
Louis Pasteur ended the debate with his famous swan-neck flask experiment, which allowed air to contact the broth. Microbes present in the dust were not able to navigate the winding bends in the neck of the flask.
Controlled all of the variables in the experiment--- GOOD EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Objectivity is the key to good science.and following standard procedures.
Soooo…what is good science?
Designing ExperimentsProblem: Small Pox an infections disease of humans.• Infected human population dating from 10,000 B.C.E.• The disease killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans annually during the late
of the 18th century.
• Those infected, 20–60%—and over 80% of infected children—died from the disease.
• Smallpox was responsible for an estimated 300–500 million deaths during
the 20th century.Solution: ????
The Beginnings of Immunology--using the scientific method
Edward Jenner and the first vaccine:
COWPOX : Infectious disease that caused mild discomfort, aching, a few pustules, some swelling…symptoms that disappeared in a few days.
SMALLPOX: Infectious disease that caused massive disfigurement, sometimes blindness, and often death.
Dr. Jenner was aware of farm workers' belief that if you had cowpox in the past, you wouldn’t get smallpox.
FYI- Last known case of Small Pox 1977.
The Beginnings of ImmunologyEdward Jenner and the first vaccine.
Question: Does having cowpox make a person immune to smallpox?
Hypothesis: If someone is infected with cowpox, then they will be immune to smallpox because having cowpox keeps a person from getting smallpox.
Experiment: Jenner made small incisions or punctures in arms of human subjects and rubbed in cowpox material (pus) in order to infect them with cowpox.
Analysis & Conclusion: He saw--- that people he had infected with cow pox, when later exposed to smallpox, would get a little bit sick, but never come down with a full-blown case of smallpox. Cowpox infection prevents smallpox infection.
Present Results / Peer Evaluation:At first his peers doubted the safety and value of his treatment, but eventually the importance of the cowpox inoculum was recognized.
1800’s – English physician
Vaccination was not without its critics. In this cartoon from 1802, the British satirist James Gillray implied that vaccination caused people
to become part cow.
SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• A series of steps that scientists use to answer questions and solve problems.
• Is not a rigid procedure. • Scientists may use all of the steps or just
some of the steps.• They may even repeat some of the steps. • The goal of the scientific method is to
come up with reliable answers and solutions to questions.
Scientific Method (Inquiry)Observation, Question or
Problem
Hypothesis
Experiment/Test
ResultsData/Analysis
Conclusion
Publish
Research
Purpose:Observations/ Questions
• The scientific method starts with questions about something that is observed. (5 Senses)
• How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?
• Initial observations and inferences.
Research• Collect and
analyze information to increase your understanding of a topic or issue (question).
Hypothesis• A testable explanation for an answer to
an observation, question or problem.
If _ [I do this]__ then _[this]__ will happen___because_[why]__.
Experiment/Test• A procedure to test the
hypothesis.
• An experimenter changes one factor and observes or measures what happens.
Variables (Factors)• The factor that is changed
by the experimenter is known as the independent variable. ( I Do.)
• The factor that is measured or observed is called the dependent variable. (data)
A good or “valid” experiment will only have ONE independent variable!
Constants• The experimenter makes a special
effort to control all the factors in an experiment so that they will not effect the outcome. (false results)
• These factors are called or constants.
• Controls groups are sometimes used to help validate an experiment. All variables the same except for the independent variable (IDV)
Controls are NOT being TESTED Controls are also used for COMPARISON
Materials/Procedures
• Listed---Specific detail of all of the equipment necessary to complete the experiment.
• Numbered steps with specific details.
Results or Data-AnalysisData: Information or observations
collected during an experiment. Qualitative=descriptions Quantitative=measurements
Analysis- Data is evaluated. Look for trends
Look at all data together.
Tables and graphs are often usedto organize and analyze the data.
ConclusionDiscussion and summaryof the experiment-basedon the analysis of thedata.
Do the results support thehypothesis?
• Discuss possible errors• Investigate again?• Make a new hypothesis
Publish• Results are verified by
independent duplication and publication in a peer-reviewed journal
• Independent duplication = Two or more scientists from different institutions investigate the same question separately and get similar results.
• Peer-reviewed journal. = A journal that publishes articles only after they have been checked for quality by several expert, objective scientists from different institutions.
Scientific Theory vs. Law
Scientific Theory vs. LawTHEORYExplanation for an observation or
phenomena that is confirmed by a large amount of evidence or tests (experiments).
Example:
Germ theory of disease - Infectious diseases result from the action of microorganisms.
LAWA statement of a scientific principle
that appears to be without exception at the time it is made, and always works the same way under the
same conditions; A scientific rule. Example:
Newton's First Law of Motion (Law of Inertia) - every object either remains at rest or in continuous motion with constant speed unless acted upon by an outside force.
Treponema pallidum - ♪ (Trep-o-neemah pal-lid-um)
So, what's the difference?
A SCIENTIFIC THEORY
- are typically non-mathematical.
A SCIENTIFIC LAW
- are often mathematically defined
• Looking at things this way helps to explain, in part, why physics and chemistry have lots of "laws" whereas biology has few laws (and more theories).
• In biology, it is very difficult to describe all the complexities of life with "simple" (relatively speaking!) mathematical terms.