What is Science?• Look around the Science classroom.

• What makes this room different from other classrooms?

• Now, write down your own definition of the word “Science”

• Compare your answer with your desk partner. How similar are your definitions?

Science is…..• Looking for explanations

• Searching for structure and patterns in the world around us

• A way of solving problems using a specific technique called “Scientific Method”.

The Nature of Science• Careful observation is the key to

understanding the natural world.

• Scientific observations must be repeatable.

• People observe through the eyes of past experience.

• Science is experimental and subject to change.

Scientific Inquiry Note• The title of this note is Scientific Inquiry.

Make sure the title is underlined, and the date is written in the top right-hand corner.

• Reference: Science Skills Toolkit 2 : “Scientific Inquiry” on pages 532- 535 of ON Science 9

• Use a ruler to draw the flowchart on page 532

Read pages 532 to 535. Define the terms:

1. Qualitative Observation

2. Quantitative Observation

3. Hypothesis

4. Variables

5. Independent Variable

6. Dependent Variable

7. Control

8. Fair Test

9. Model

10. Conclusion

11. Theory

Answer the following “Instant Practice” Questions on pages 533 – 534 of

ON Science 9

• Making Qualitative and Quantitative Observations

• Stating a Hypothesis

• Identifying Variables

Key Parts of the Scientific Method• Hypothesis: is a testable proposal used to

explain an observation or to predict the outcome of an experiment.

• Observations: involve using your senses as measuring devices. Observations can be qualitative (sight, sound, taste, hearing, touch) or quantitative (uses numbers)

• Inferences: involve examining observations and interpreting them using past experience.

Observation? Inference?

When you infer, you make a mental judgment When you infer, you make a mental judgment based on observations. Inferences cannot be based on observations. Inferences cannot be directly observed. They require thought. For directly observed. They require thought. For example, if you get up in the morning, look up at example, if you get up in the morning, look up at the sky and observe dark clouds, observe the air the sky and observe dark clouds, observe the air is cool and humid, and observe puddles on the is cool and humid, and observe puddles on the ground, you might infer that it has recently ground, you might infer that it has recently rained. Note: you did not rained. Note: you did not seesee rain; you rain; you decideddecided that it rained based on your observations. that it rained based on your observations. An An inference is a statement based on your inference is a statement based on your interpretation of the facts. interpretation of the facts.

Observation

That plant is extremely wilted.

The car stopped running

The Sox are leading their division

Inference

That plant is extremely wilted due to a lack of water.

The car stooped running because it was out of gas.

The Sox are leading their division because they are playing well right now

Observation? Inference?

Observation? Inference?