Unit 1: Scientific Literacy & Scientific Processes

What is Science?

A way of thinking about and understanding your environment or physical surroundings

What does it mean to be Science Literate?

To understand the nature and process of science, critically think, and differentiate science.

The Process of Science: know the steps

Observe, Propose Explanation, Predictions, Test, Modify Explanation, Repeat

Scientific Knowledge

scientific theory - developed to answer the “why”

postulates - the building blocks of a theory

laws - important relationship observed to occur time after time, the “how”

Science vs. Pseudoscience, Metaphysics: Give Examples

  • Pseudoscience can be misleading and potentially give absurd claims of scientific results

  • Metaphysics is a set of views about the world taken as a whole

Finding Valid Science

  • Valid science is scientific peer reviewed journals, that are credible.

What is an impact factor?

  • A measure of frequency

Why is measurement so important?

  • It’s a primary form of science communication

Fundamental Measurements

  • position, length, distance (x,y,z)

  • time (t)

  • velocity of speed (v)

  • acceleration (a)

  • area (a)

  • volume (v)

  • mass (m)

  • density (p,rho)

  • linear density (m/L)

  • force (f)

  • pressure (p)

  • temperature (t)

What is Science Investigation?

  • Following the scientific process, collecting data, etc

Systematic Experimental Design – Independent vs Dependent Variables

  • Independent variable - the variable in the experiment you control and the one that creates two or more groups within the study, you have manipulated it

  • Dependent variable - the variable that is the outcome or the one you are just measuring

Systematic Experimental Design – Control vs Experimental Groups

  • Control groups - the group in the study that does not get any intervention

  • Experimental groups - the group that is exposed to manipulation like a new drug

Experimental Design Issues: Random vs Systematic error

  • Random error - occurs randomly in space and time

  • Systematic error - tend to skew your data in one direction or the other, gives you precision but not accuracy

Selecting Samples – random sampling

  • Random sampling - where everything in the larger population has an equal chance of being in the sample

Repeatable vs Reproducible Data

  • Repeatable data - if an experiment has performed multiple times by the same lab and there is no consensus in the data

  • Reproducible data - data that allows researchers to independently verify findings by producing the same results

Math used for Accuracy vs Precision

  • Accuracy - the distance a sampled (measured) mean’s value is to the population’s mean; expressed as percent error

  • Precision - ability to produce the same results across multiple measurements; sample standard deviation

Experimental Error Types, Sources, How to Reduce Them

  • Experimental error is the different between a measurement and it’s accepted value.

  • Systemic error - skews your data in one direction or the other gives you precision but not accuracy

  • Random error - occurs randomly in space and time

Definitions of Descriptive Statistic Terms

  • Mean, median, mode

Difference Between Using Tables and Graphs

  • Tables - best for describing 2-4 factors in the data (independent vs dependent variables)

  • Graphs - best to show trends (independent = x axis, dependent = y axis)