Scientific Method
List the steps of the Scientific Method.
Observation-Scientists collect data.
Hypothesis-Based on data collected.
Experiments-Designed to test hypothesis.
Conclusions-any reasonable conclusion from data.
Define theory.
A hypothesis that has been tested with a significant amount of data.
True/False - Science can prove any theory without a doubt.
Despite the fact that an experiment could support the hypothesis, it can be shown to be wrong. Science is NOT a means by which something can be proven.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY!!!!!
Name the three limitations of science.
1. It cannot prove anything.
2. It is not 100% reliable.
3. It must conform to the scientific method.
Explain what scientists mean by the Dark Ages.
The Dark Ages was a time where the culture and government were not supportive and little was learned. It happened when the Roman Empire began to crumble. They discouraged science and focused on inventions. The Roman Catholic Monks preserved most of the knowledge gained.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY!!!!!
Explain observation in reference to the Scientific Method.
Allows scientist to collect data.
Define hypothesis.
An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question.
Scientific conclusions (are or are not) being changed based on new information?
Scientific conclusions are CONTINUALLY being changed based on new information. Ptolemy had a great explanation of the planets and stars but it turned out he was wrong.
True/False - Scientists cannot study anything that we do not observe happening today.
No, this is not true. Science has done a lot to make our life better. It has helped us understand the world around us and made our lives better. We made advances in cancer research.
Explain why the statement: All objects, regardless of weight, fall at the same rate.
There is no air resistance.
Explain Hypothesis in reference to the Scientific Method.
An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY!!!!
Define Scientific Law.
A THEORY that has been tested by and is consistent with generations of data.
What does the book mean when it said that all conclusions that scientists draw are tentative?
All it takes is one experiment to destroy a conclusion based on thousands of years of scientific investigation. Remember the example of the little boy who came to the conclusion that an object dropped from the roof will fall.
True/False - Science is 100% reliable.
No, but has helped us understand the world around us and contributed to many inventions that has made our life better.
The scientist, Lowell, hypothesized that Mars had canals that were dug by inhabitants of Mars. Was he correct?
No, he wasn't correct. The development of the telescopes that were more powerful and proved his work wrong.
If the data is not consistent with the hypothesis, what happens?
The hypothesis might be discarded or modified.
Define counter example.
An example that contradicts a conclusion.
Why was Ptolemy significant?
He came up with the geocentric system that the Earth was at the center and the stars orbited it. Popular theory for 1600 years.
True/False - A scientist must always conform to the Scientific Method.
YES!
DOUBLE JEOPARDY!!!!!
Did early scientists believe in superconductivity?
No, it was a complete mystery from them. It wasn't until quantum mechanics became more accepted that they began to see how it was possible.
When does the hypothesis become a theory?
When a great deal of data is collected to support the hypothesis then it becomes a theory.
Define superconductivity.
When electricity travels through a wire, the wire resists the flow of electricity. This resistance reduces the energy of the electricity in the wire, and the lost energy is converted to heat, light, or some form of work.
DOUBLE JEOPARDY!!!!!
Give a counter example to the conclusion that any object dropped from a roof will fall.
A counter example to the conclusion is an example that contradicts a conclusion. Suppose he dropped a helium filled balloon off the roof?
True/False - The Christian worldview is largely responsible for bringing science out of the Dark Ages.
Yes, the Roman Catholic Church. The monks kept precise notes on the data before the Dark Ages.
Give me an example of counter example.
Dropping a helium filled balloon from the roof of a building.