This document discusses the process of scientific inquiry. It explains that scientists use various skills like observing, inferring, predicting, and classifying to study the natural world. Important attitudes for scientists include curiosity, honesty, and open-mindedness. The scientific inquiry process begins with questions and develops hypotheses to test. Scientists then design controlled experiments to collect data to either support or disprove hypotheses. They analyze results and communicate conclusions. Theories are explanations supported by evidence, while laws describe what will happen under certain conditions.

1. The Nature of Science and
Technology
Chapter 1: What is Science?

2. Section 1: Thinking Like a
Scientist
• Key concepts
– What skills do
scientist use to
learn about the
world?
– What attitudes are
important in
science?

3. Skills that Scientists Use
• Scientists use skills such as
observing, inferring, predicting,
classifying, and making models to
learn more about the world.

4. Skill: Observing
• Using one or more
of your senses to
gather information
• Senses
–
–
–
–
–
Sight
Hearing
Touch
Taste
Smell

5. Types of Observations
• Quantitative
– Deal with a number,
or amount
– Examples of
Quantitative
Observations are…
• Qualitative
– Deal with
descriptions that
cannot be
expressed in
number.
– Examples of
Qualitative
Observations are …

6. Skill: Inferring
• When you explain
or interpret things
you observe
• Based on things you
already have
knowledge about
• What can you infer
about the frog?

7. Skill: Predicting
• Guessing what can
happen in the
future
• Based on past
experience or
evidence
• Examples of
prediction are…

8. Skill: Classifying
• Grouping items
that are alike in
some way
• Examples of
classifying are…

9. Skill: Making Models
• Creating
representations of
complex objects or
processes
• Help with
understanding
things that are
complex
• Examples of models
are…

10. Scientific Attitudes
• Successful scientists possess certain
important attitudes, or habits of
mind, including curiosity, honesty,
open-mindedness, skepticism, and
creativity.

11. Key Concepts
• What skills do scientist use to learn
about the world?
• What attitudes are important in
science?

12. Section 2: Scientific Inquiry
• Key Concepts:
– What is scientific
inquiry?
– What makes a
hypothesis
testable?
– How do scientific
theories differ
from science laws?

13. What is Scientific Inquiry?
• Refers to the diverse ways in which
scientists study the natural worlds
and propose explanations based on
the evidence they gather
• Process of Discovery

14. Posing Questions
• Begins with a problem or question
about an observation
• Questions come from experiences
(from observations and inferences)
• Curiosity
• 1st step in inquiry

15. Developing a Hypothesis
• A possible
explanation for a
set of observations
or answer to a
scientific question
• Not a fact
• One possible way to
explain a group of
observations
• MUST be testable
• Researchers can
carry out
investigations and
gather evidence
• Evidence will
support or disprove
the hypothesis
• Trials

16. Designing an Experiment
• After you make a hypothesis
• An experiment is designed to test it
• Experiment elements
– Variables (factors that can change in an
experiment, must be exactly the same)
• Independent
• Dependent
– Controlled

17. Independent Variable
• Purposely changed to test a
hypothesis

18. Dependent Variable
• Changes in response to independent
variable

19. Controlled Experiment
• An experiment which only one
variable is manipulated at a time

20. Importance of Controlling
Variables
• Accuracy
• Consistency in results

21. Collecting and Interpreting
Data
• Tables
• Data are the facts,
figures, and other
evidence gathered
through
observations
• Graphing Data
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
East
West
North
1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Qtr Qtr Qtr Qtr

22. Drawing Conclusions
• Gather and interpret
data
• Make conclusions
about hypothesis
• Summary of what you
learned from an
experiment
• Support or disprove
your hypothesis

23. Communicating
• The sharing of
ideas and
experimental
findings with
others through
writing and
speaking

24. Scientific Theories and Laws
• Theories
– Well-tested
explanation for a
wide range of
observations or
experimental
results
• Laws
– Statement that
describes what
scientists expect to
happen every time
under a particular
set of conditions