1.

1 The Nature of Science

Pg 7-9

Objectives
To apply ethics and open discussion
in science.
To gain an understanding of universal
laws and scientific thought.

Scientific Thought
Skepticism a questioning and
(healthily) doubtful attitude.

Why is skepticism important for a

scientist?
1.Discovering new technologies, theories,
etc.
2.Developing new and better ways of
doing things.

Heliocentric vs. Geocentric

Scientific Law
Universal Law a description of
observable occurrences which
applies everywhere in the known
universe.
Law of Universal Gravitation, Laws of
Planetary Motion, Law of
Conservation of Energy

Ethics and Science

Brainstorm: What relationships do you
think exist between ethics and science?
(Write some ideas on a piece of paper)
Scientists must be open to allowing
others to test their findings.
A theory is only as good as it can be
tested.
Scientists must only publish verifiable
data or risk implying untruths and
misleading thousands of other scientists.

Reasons to Study Science

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

To
To
To
To

take better care of yourself.

become a more informed citizen.
become a better consumer.
improve the world around you.

1-2 Scientific Methods

pg 10-13

Goal
After this lecture students should be
able to define key terms to the
scientific process as well as perform
an experiment, observe, hypothesize
and make conclusions using
knowledge of variables and
control/test groups in order to
support or refute a theory.

Observations The Basis of

Scientific Research
Observation: the act of noting or
perceiving objects or events using
one of the five senses.

Stages of Scientific
Investigations
Observing
Science can be thought of at a very
shallow level as trying to explain the
universe. Thus, one must observe the
universe somehow, or forget that it was
ever there.

Asking questions
Why is the sky blue?
Why does a piece of paper burn at 451 F?

 Forming Hypotheses and Making Predictions

Hypothesis: an explanation that might be true.
or
Hypothesis: a statement that can be tested by
additional observations or experimentation.
Prediction: the expected outcome of an
experiment assuming the hypothesis is correct.

 Confirming Predictions
Experiment: a planned procedure to
test a hypothesis.
Control Group: a group which receives no
experimental treatment.
Independent Variable: the factor that is
changed in an experiment.
Dependent Variable: the factor that you
are measuring.

Drawing Conclusions
Does your data from the experiment
support your hypothesis?

 Construct a Theory
Theory: a set of related hypotheses that
have been tested and confirmed many
times by many scientists.
Represents the most supported reasons or
scientists best-guess at something.
You cannot prove a theory or hypothesis with
experiments. Experiments only support or
refute them. Therefore, science builds a model
for what we think is happening. It does not
necessarily build an identical replica.
A theory or hypothesis can always be revised or
rejected based on future experiments and
observations.

1.3 Tools and Techniques

(abv.)
Pg 14-16

Objectives
Utilize the SI units and their prefixes
to convert between them using
dimensional analysis.
Distinguish between significant digits
and insignificant digits.
Understand and practice safe lab
techniques.

Ladder method

Base SI Units

Using SI Units and Prefixes

Combining any SI Base Unit with a
prefix only changes the magnitude
(size) of the unit.
Exs: a gram is the SI Base unit of mass. A
kilogram (kg) is 1,000 times larger than a
gram. A gigagram (Gg) is 1,000,000
times larger than a gram, and a
yottagram (Yg) is
1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000
times larger than a gram.

Dimensional Analysis
You can multiply and divide by
conversion factors in order to cancel
out units and convert from any given
SI base to another.
Ex: Convert 1 second to centiseconds.

Significant Digits
Significant Digits the valid digits
in a measurement.
Ex: You measure a pen to be 12.6 cm
long with a ruler which has only cm
markings. Therefore, it has three digits
all of which are significant. Two which
you are certain of, and one which you
estimated.

 A digit 1 through 9 is always significant,

in any single number.
A 0 can be significant or insignificant:
Significant: 102 or 13.01 or 12.0
Insignificant: 120 or 100,000,000,000 or
1.2x1023

How many digits are significant?

12
10,003
1.650
1300

1-4 What is Biology?

pg 17-19

Goals
Gain an understanding of the
unifying concepts of Biology and
apply that knowledge to comparing
living/non-living things, identifying
living organisms, and describing
some living organisms using
terminology from the section.

Characteristics of Biology
Biology is
the study of life.
the study of living organisms.

Unifying Themes of Living

Things
1) Cellular structure and Function
- Living things contain one or many cells.
- Cell: the smallest unit capable of all
functions of living things.
2) Reproduction: the process organisms
go through to create more of their own
kind.
3) Metabolism: the sum of all the
chemical reactions in an organism.

4) Homeostasis: maintaining stable internal conditions

despite changes in an organisms external
environment.
5) Heredity: the passing of traits from parent to
offspring.
- Gene: basic unit of heredity coded into and
organisms deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
- Mutation: a change in an organisms DNA
6) Evolution
- Species: a group of genetically similar organisms
which may produce fertile offspring.
7) Interdependence
- Ecology: branch of Biology which studies the
interactions of organisms with each other and with
their non-living environment.