Nature of Science:



Nature of Science:

Branches of Science

Science is observing, studying, and experimenting to find the nature of things.

There are 2 main branches of science:

1. Social Sciences

- deals with human nature

2. Natural Sciences

- tries to understand how “nature”, or the whole universe, behaves.

Natural Science is subdivided into:

1. Biological Science

-life science

2. Physical Science

-Chemistry: science of matter and

how it changes

-Physics: science of forces & energy

3. Earth Science

- Geology: physical nature &

history of Earth

- Meteorology: study of

atmosphere

& weather

- 7 other areas

Over time…all of the areas of science have become mixed together and more interrelated.

Ex. Biochemistry, Geochemistry, or

Geophysics

The Way Science Works:

Scientific knowledge is always changing, but the way in which we study it remains consistent.

-Critical Thinking and Scientific Method is always used to solve problems logically.

Math is the language of science.

- scientists use standard units of measure

that together form the International System of Units. (SI Units)

• using this system allows for

consistency.

• this includes all metric units &

prefixes.

Organizing Data:

While conducting experiments, it is important to collect data & make observations.

So…what’s the best way to organize all that data?

Graphs:

Types of Graphs:

1. Line Graphs

- used to show continuously changing data

2. Bar Graphs

- compare values of items

3. Pie Graphs

- shows all the parts of a whole

Scientific Notation:

Since math is the language of science it is important to be able to use & interpret numbers.

Many of the numbers will be too large or too small to work with easily.

Therefore…it becomes necessary to use Scientific Notation to make this easier.

Scientific Notation: method of reducing the number of zeros in very big or very small numbers & expressing them as a power of 10.

*** The number must ALWAYS be one digit with a value between 1 & 9!

*** The exponent tells you how many places you’ve moved your decimal.

1000 = 103 (Kilo)

100 = 102 (Hecto)

10 = 101 (Deka)

1 = 100

0.1 = 10-1 (Deci)

0.01 = 10-2 (Centi)

0.001 = 10-3 (Milli)

Math Rules for Scientific Notation:

1. Multiplying: add the powers of 10

2. Dividing: subtract the powers of 10

Significant Figures

(Reliable/Meaningful)

Precision vs. Accuracy

Are these two things the same? NOOOOOO!

Precision: indicates the exactness of a measurement; how close measurements are to each other.

Accuracy: indicates how close a measurement is to the true value.

- a measured value is only as accurate and precise as the tool used to measure it

- determining this is done by using significant figures

Significant Figures: used by scientists to show

the precision of a measurement.

- sig figs tell you how precise the measurement is, but now how accurate it is.

-----------------------

Not Accurate

Not Precise

Not Accurate

Yes Precise

Accurate

& Precise

Yes Accurate

Not Precise

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