Examples of the skills used in science include ____ and ____.
D. observations, measurements
2. After scientists analyze the results of their experiments, they ____.
C. communicate those results to other people
3. Which of the following steps to solve a problem must be completed first?
B. recognizing and identifying the problem
4. Which of the following steps to solve a problem is completed last?
C. drawing conclusions
5. A statement that can be tested is a(n)____.
D. hypothesis
6. A factor in an experiment that can change is a(n)____.
B. variable
7. A sample that is treated exactly like the other experimental groups except that the variable is not applied to it is a(n)
____.
control
8. One tool that can be used to display your data is a ____.
D. computer
9.One way to reduce bias in an experiment is to ____.
B. try to ensure that the control and experimental groups are the same, except the the independent variable
10. A good way to organize and record your results and observations is ____.
A. in a data table
11. Which skill are you using when you use your five senses to gather information?
B. observing
Observing refers the gathering information, not just using your eyes!
12. Facts, figures, and other evidence learned through observation are called
D. data.
13. What characteristic must be true of a good hypothesis?
It must be testable by observation or experiment.
14i. In a controlled experiment, a scientist is studying how long it takes parachutes of different sizes to fall to the
ground. What is the independent variable?
The size of the parachute
14ii. In a controlled experiment, a scientist is studying how long it takes parachutes of different sizes to fall to the
ground. What is the dependent variable?
The time taken for the paracute to reach the ground
15. A statement that describes what scientists expect to happen every time under a given set of conditions is called a
scientific
D. law.
16. Which sentence best describes a scientific theory?
D. It is well-tested and explains a wide range of observations.
17. What skill is a scientist using when they look at statistical figures from an experiment and draw conclusions?
A. interpreting data
18.Measurements of the heights of various plants in an experiment are called
A. data.
19. Your friends return from a canoe trip on the lake and they are dripping wet. What inference might you make?
C. Their canoe tipped over.
20. A possible explanation for a set of observations is known as a (n)
B. hypothesis.
21. When you decide whether or not the data support the original hypothesis, you are
C. drawing a conclusion.
22. When a scientist shares his or her findings with other scientists, the scientist is
A. communicating.
23. What is a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations?
C. scientific theory
24. A controlled experiment is designed to test a(n)
B. hypothesis.
25. A chart showing the amount of rain each month in a region is an example of a scientist's
C. data.
26.According to the scientific method, how does a physicist formulate and objectively test hypotheses?
by performing experiments
27. In the steps of the scientific method, what is the next step after formulating and objectively testing hypotheses?
interpreting results
28. For a scientific theory to be valid, it must allow you to
perform experiments.
29. Scientists test a hypothesis by
C. doing experiments.
30. Which of the statements below is a falsifiable hypothesis?
Any two objects dropped from the same height will hit the ground at
the same time, as long as air resistance is not a factor.
31. Which question cannot be answered scientifically because the quantity cannot actually be measured?
How happy is a monkey getting its favourite food
32. Brian was observing black swallowtail butterflies in the field. Which one of these is an observation he made about a black swallowtail butterfly?
The black swallowtail:
Laid its eggs on a parsley leaf
33.
Problem: Why do black-headed gulls remove eggshells from the nest?
Hypothesis: The white interior of the shell is not camouflaged and attracts predators to
the nest. Therefore, the gulls remove the shells to decrease predation.
Test: Tinbergen and his co-workers collected gull eggs and painted 69 of them white
and left 68 of them with their natural color. (Statistically, these numbers are close
enough to be considered equal.) The researchers then scattered the eggs next to a gull
breeding area and observed from a nearby blind. Predation rates were recorded for
white versus natural colored eggs.
Tinbergen found that 43 white eggs and 13 natural coloured eggs were taken by predators.
- What is the Null hypothesis
That the colour of the egg shell does not impact predation rates
- Do the data from this experiment support the null hypothesis or would it be rejected?
You would reject the Null hypothesis
- Is the hypothesis stated then proven?
No, it is merely very probable!
- Identify the experimental and control group
Experimental = White eggs
Control = Natural eggs
- Identify the independant and dependant variables
Independant = Colour of egg
Dependant = Number of eggs taken by predators
Deduction/Induction
1. Pick a number. Multiply by 6, add 8 to the product, divide by 2, and subtract 4. Try this for several numbers and use induction to make a conjecture about the relationship
between the starting number and the end number. Why is one try insufficient to make a good conclusion
The final number is always the original number x 3.
A single number would not provide a strong enough argument as to the relationship.
2. The three internal angles of any triangle add up to 180 degrees. If angle A = 40 and angle B = 90 what is angle C and which method did you use to arrive at your answer
50 degrees and deduction
For deductive arguments, we use the concept validity to determine how well the premises supposrt the conclusion. Validity can be defined in three ways, even though they basically say the same thing:
a. A deductive argument is valid if its conclusion indeed necessarily follows from its premises.
b. If the premises are true/acceptable, then the conclusion must also be true/acceptable.
c. 100% supporting
Determine whether or not the following would be considered valid or invalid instances of deduction:
4. If Bob has appendicitis then he is very sick, Bob is very sick thererfore Bob has appendicitis
Invalid, Bob could have a number of other problems making him sick
5. All people are mortal, Socrates is a person, Therefore, Socrates is mortal
Valid
6. If you have a smart phone you can take a picture, you show people a picture therefore you have a smart phone
Invalid, what if you took the picture using a normal camera
7. If John F. Kennedy was assassinated, then he is dead., John F. Kennedy is dead, therefore Kennedy was assassinated
Invalid, even though we know this to be true (though who by may be debated by some!) the arguments presented are not good enough for a valid deduction.
Try replacing part of the premise: If John F. Kennedy was killed in a plane crash, then he is dead., John F. Kennedy is dead, therefore Kennedy was killed in a plane crash
We know that this is not true and therefore the original premise also could not be true
8. All P are M, s is a P, therefore, s is M
Valid
9. All P are M, s is a M, therefore, s is P
Invalid, even though the change is a small one just because s is a M and all Ps are Ms does not mean that all Ms are Ps
Recall that the inferential claim in inductive arguments is more modest. It claims only that its premises make its conclusion more likely to be true/acceptable. The degree of support its premises lend on its conclusion is call the strength. It can also be defined in three ways:
a. An inductive argument is strong if its conclusion indeed probably follows from its premises.
b. If the premises are true/acceptable, then the conclusion is likely to be true/acceptable.
c. more than 50% supporting
Determine whether or not the following would be considered strong or weak instances of induction
10. All the ravens observed so far are black, therefore the next raven you see will be black.
Strong
11. Many people believe that crop circles are created by space aliens, therefore space aliens have visited the earth
Weak, it is based upon people's beliefs
12. It has been observed that the farther galaxies are from the Earth, the faster they are moving away, therefore the universe is expanding.
Strong
13. A cooler contains 30 cans.
3 cans selected at random were found to be Cola.
Probably all the cans are Cola.
Weak, 3 out of 30 (or 1 out of 10) is not a high probability
14. A cooler contains 30 cans.
25 cans selected at random were found to be Cola.
Probably all the cans are Cola.
Strong, 25 out of 30 (or 5 out of 6) is a high probability