BIOLOGY 1A

• What happens to a gummy bear

placed in water?

• Will changing the water temperature affect how quickly

a gummy bear dissolves?

• What is your Hypothesis?

HYPOTHESIS

• A hypothesis is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon.

• Like an educated guess

• A hypothesis should be written as

• If ___ [I do this] then, ___ (this)___ will happen.

• Example:

• If my students choose to break the rules, then they will have consequences.

• How can you ensure a good hypothesis?

• Use Textbooks!

• In your notes, define the following terms:

• Hypothesis

• Inference

• Law

• Theory

• Principle

• Fact

• Observation

• Then use each word properly in a sentence or

paragraph. (OR song/rap/poem)

THEORY

• A theory is similar to a hypothesis but …

• Theory has experimental evidence to support it

• A hypothesis is an educated guess, without the

experimental evidence.

HOW DO WE TEST IT?

• What is this called?

– An Experiment : a scientific procedure undertaken to

make a discovery, test a hypothesis or demonstrate

a known fact.

– TIME TO TEST OUR GUMMY BEARS!

–What should we do during the experiment?

• How long did each gummy bear take to dissolve?

– What is this called?

– Data : facts and statistics collected together for reference or

analysis.

– Results: a consequence, effect or outcome of something.

– Always collect and record your data neatly.

• In this case our data was time and what else?

– (Hint: read the definition above)

OBSERVATION

• The action or process of observing something or someone carefully or in order to gain information.

• Observations can lead to more questions, experiments and results.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? WHICH GUMMY

DISSOLVED FASTER?

• Was your hypothesis supported or refuted?

• What is this called?

• Drawing a conclusion

• Using what you have observed and learned from evidence in the experiment.

• Often times when drawing a conclusion scientists will make an inference.

• Inference: is a logical interpretation based on knowledge or experience.

• Example:

• A researcher testing lake water

• Because they cannot test ALL of the lake water multiple samples from various regions of the lake are taken.

• If all samples are clean enough to drink you can INFER that ALL the lake water is clean enough.

• Can anyone think of an inference that can be made from our gummy

bears?

REMEMBER

• Inference is NOT fact.

• A fact is something known, seen, or been done

• Inference is based on the facts or observations known

FROM FACT TO LAW

• When a statement of FACT is formed from an observation and that particular natural or scientific phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions are present it is known as a LAW.

• Example

• Newton’s 3rd Law of motion

• “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

PRINCIPLES OF SCIENCE

• Are not Laws of Science, but are always true.

• A principle describes a relationship that is subject to change according to conditions.

• Example: Bernoulli’s Principle & Airplanes

• the pressure of a fluid (liquid or gas) decreases as the speed increases

DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT PRINCIPLE WE

FOLLOWED IN OUR GUMMY BEAR EXPERIMENT

TODAY?

THE PRINCIPLES OF

• THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

• Asking a question

• Forming a hypothesis (based on research or prior knowledge)

• Designing a controlled experiment

• Recording and Analyzing results

• Drawing a conclusion

ERRORS?

• What could have be done differently?

• What could have been done to be more

accurate/precise?

• Did we ask the right question?

• Do we have any new questions based on the results?

• These are topics to be discussed in a conclusion

• What is another question we can ask and design an experiment for using the materials you see on this front table?

• Will a dismembered gummy bear affect how quickly it grows or dissolves?

• Will the gummy bear dissolve faster in an acidic solution?

• Carry out the steps of the Scientific

Method.

• Hypothesis?

• Independent Variable: a variable whose value does not

depend on that of another.

• Dependent Variable: a variable whose value depends on that

of another.

• Designing our experiment

• A scientist should always be thorough

• Experiments need to be explained in such detail that

someone who has never seen or done the

experiment before can re-create it and get the same

results.

• Recording and Analyzing

• Data is not just numerical, make notes on ALL

observations.

• Drawing a conclusion

• Use all the data collected to draw valid, logical

conclusions from the results.

• Find evidence that either supports or refutes the

hypothesis.

• A hypothesis is never proven TRUE or FALSE it

is only supported by evidence or not.

WHY IS SCIENCE IMPORTANT?

• The goal of science: To investigate and

understand the natural world, and to use

those explanations to make useful

predictions.

REAL LIFE EXAMPLES

• The scientific method is used unconsciously by many

people on a daily basis, for tasks such as..

• Trial and Error

• Auto repair

• Cooking

• Writing a story