Chapter 1: The Nature of Physical Science
What do you do after an accident in the lab?
1. Stay calm 2. Make sure you are safe 3. Inform you teacher 4. Follow directions 5. Participate in first aid if necessary
Five elements of safety
1. Understanding and following safety symbols 2. Following directions 3. Neatness 4. Using proper safety equipment 5. Cleaning up
Variable
A factor that changes in an experiment in order to test a hypothesis
Scientific Methods
A series of steps followed to solve problems and answer questions. Scientist may use them in a different order or in different ways. Use of the scientific method requires knowledge and creativity. Sometimes steps are repeated.
Hypothesis
A testable question or explanation that leads to scientific investigation. A possible answer
Controlled Experiment
An experiment that tests one variable at a time
The scientific method starts with
An observation or question
How have scientist helped the environment?
By helping resources last longer by inventing new ways to recycle material
An experiment should be
Carefully designed to answer a question
First Aid
Emergency medical care for someone who has been hurt or is sick
Scientists ask questions to
Fight diseases, research food sources, and protect the environment
Observations are only useful
If they are accurate
Why is scientific literacy important?
It helps you to think logically, ask good questions, and observe.
Observations might be measurements of
Length, volume, time, or speed
Scientists only use information from
Reliable sources
What are the 3 ways to look for answers to your question?
Research, observation, and experimentation
Why are scientist okay with getting their hypothesis wrong?
The results always provide information and help narrow the investigation
Calculators and computers are frequently used because
They can be used to quickly and accurately make calculations of data
Why do scientist analyze and organize data?
To help evaluate the data's accuracy and reproducibility.
informed consent
When people are told of the risks in research and choose to participate
ecologist
a scientist who studies a community of organisms and their environment
geochemist
a scientist who studies the chemistry of rocks
What is science?
knowledge gained about the natural world by investigation
What happens when similar investigations give different results?
more investigation is done to see if the difference are significant
observation
obtaining information using the senses
data
pieces of information acquired through observation or experimentation
What are some ways that science saves lives?
safer cars, buildings, equipment predicting natural disasters clean water food supplies
scientific literacy
the understanding of the methods of scientific inquiry, the scope of scientific knowledge, and the role of science in society
Why are scientist open about their results, encourage replication, and keep accurate records?
to maintain believably with other scientist and society
question
used to focus the purpose of an investigation
What are some ways that scientist publish their work?
write papers give presentations publish results on the internet
