U1 L1 - What is Science?

Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?

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Indiana Standards


• NOS 8.3 Collect quantitative data with appropriate tools or technologies and use appropriate units to label numerical data.

• NOS 8.10 Compare the results of an experiment with the prediction.

Character Witness


What characterizes science?

• Science is the systematic study of natural events and conditions.

• There are three main types of science: biology, geology, and physical science.



• Life science, or biology, is the study of living things.

• Earth science, or geology, is the study of the surface and interior of Earth.

• Physical science is the study of energy and nonliving matter. Physical science includes physics and chemistry.




• All branches of science have some characteristics in common.

• All kinds of scientists must share and discuss their results with others.

• All scientific ideas must be testable and reproducible.




• Scientific evidence must be observable by all scientists. It must not be based on opinions or feelings.

• Empirical evidence is observations, measurements, and data that scientists gather to support an explanation.

• Scientists commonly use tools to collect data.



“Give me an explanation … ”


What is a scientific explanation?

• A scientific explanation provides reasons for how a phenomenon occurs.

• Scientific explanations are based on empirical evidence. Therefore, they can be tested.

• Science cannot test explanations involving unsupported beliefs or opinions.



• Scientists often start developing an explanation by examining all of the data and empirical evidence they have.

• Then they think logically about the evidence and develop a reasonable explanation.

• Other scientists test the explanation for themselves.




• Scientific explanations must explain all available evidence.

• If new evidence is discovered, it is compared to the explanation.

• If the explanation cannot explain the new evidence, the explanation may be modified.



How is a scientific explanation evaluated?• First, study the empirical evidence. Decide if it

supports the explanation.

• Second, decide if the explanation is logical and agrees with your other observations.

• Third, identify tests you can do to support the idea.

• Finally, evaluate the explanation.



Common Habits


What is involved in scientific work?

• Science and the people who study it are diverse. However, they have some characteristics in common.

• When you show these characteristics, you are thinking like a scientist.



• Scientists make careful observations. They may use their senses or scientific tools to make observations.

• Scientists are curious about the world and how it works.

• Scientists are creative. They use their imaginations to come up with explanations, experiments, and solutions.




• Scientists are logical. They use evidence and careful reasoning to develop explanations.

• Scientists are skeptical. They do not immediately accept claims. Instead, they ask questions and evaluate the claims.

• Scientists are objective. They set aside their feelings and opinions when they evaluate ideas.



“Space Aliens Built the Pyramids”


How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Pseudoscience is beliefs or practices that are

mistakenly believed to be based on scientific principles.

• Pseudoscience can look like science, but it is not science.


How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Both science and pseudoscience can address

topics from the natural world.

• Pseudoscientific claims can sound logical. They may use technical language or scientific-sounding terms.

• Both science and pseudoscience claim to be supported by empirical evidence.



How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Unlike science, pseudoscience does not use

accepted scientific methods.

• The evidence supporting pseudoscientific claims may be vague, biased, or inaccurate.

• Pseudoscientific claims are often not testable.



How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Pseudoscientists may say that any claim that has

not been proven false must be true. This is faulty logic.

• Scientists offer evidence for their explanations. In contrast, pseudoscientists often ask skeptics to prove their claims false.



Education

U1 L1 - What is Science?