A nice, easy introductory lesson, just to start us off my dears.
___________________________________________________________
What is the purpose of science?Science attempts to explain the world we live in.
Scientists carry out investigations and collect evidence in order to...
* Explain phenomena (i.e. how and why things happen)
* Solve Problems
Scientific knowledge and understanding can lead to the development of new technology(e.g. in machine, medice and industry), which can have a huge impact on...
* Society
* The Enviroment
---
What is the purpose of Evidence?Scientificic Evidence provides facts which answer a specific question, and either support or disprove an idea/theory.
Evidence is often based on data that has been collected through...
* observations
* measurements
To allow scientists to reach conclusions, evidence must be...
* Reliable: it must be trustworthy.
* Valid: it must be reliable AND answer the question.
---
The key points of an investigationTo ensure scientific evidence is reliable and valid, Scientists make realtive ideas and practices using five main points...
* observations
* investigations
* measurements (with a correct scale)
* data presentation (graphs)
* conclusions and evaluations
---
Observations and how they workMost scientific investigations begin with and observation. A scientist observes an event or phenomenon and decides to find out more about WHY it happens.
The first step is to develope a
hypothesis: which helps them to suggest an explination. Hypotheses (plural of Hypothesis) normally suggest a realtionship between two or more variables (factors that change). A Hypothesis is based on...
* careful observation and ideas
* existing scientific knowledge
* a bit of creative thinking
The hypothesis is used to make a prediction, which can be tested through an investigation or an experiment.
These experiments are what help scientists to discover new information, and help the issues of science and how it works overall.
___________________________________________________
I hope you enjoyed the first lesson
any questions?
_________________
"Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head... I miss you, I miss you" ~Blink 182
Subject: Lesson 1~ How Science Works 
Sat Apr 25, 2009 8:33 am
