Biology: Semester I

Sections:

Introduction | Section 1 | Section 2

Section One:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Biology: The Nature of Science and Biology: Part Two Science and The Scientific Method Science is a logical, repeatable attempt to understand and explain how the universe works. In fact, the word science is from the Latin word, scientia, which means to know. Scientists try to find answers through science experiments. These experiments provide us with new knowledge and theories that explain how and why things work the way they do. Good science is not rigid and fixed. It is an ongoing process of testing and evaluation. One goal in this course is that you will become familiar with the process of science. You will study how it works and what it can and cannot yet do. Humans seem to be naturally curious about the world in which we live. Young children often drive their parents batty with constant questions about why things happen the way they do. Scientists ask these questions too. They use a variety of tools and methods to explore and understand the world around them, but the general order of the steps remains the same. The scientific method serves as your guide to this process of conducting science experiments. Steps in the scientific method commonly include: Observation: Define the problem you wish to explain. Hypothesis: List at least one testable explanation for the observation. Experimentation: Test the hypothesis. Conclusion: Was the hypothesis supported or not? After this step the hypothesis is either modified or rejected, and the cycle continues. Scientists use different terms to indicate different types of thinking. Most people use the term theory to mean an idea that has not been tested. For example someone might say, “I have a theory about why the cat claws the furniture.” A scientist would call an untested idea a hypothesis. A formal definition of theory is a hypothesis that has gone through repeated testing and shown true each time. A theory, such as the Theory of Evolution, has a higher level of certainty than a single hypothesis. The term law refers to a fundamental principle about how the universe is organized, e.g. Newton's Law of Gravity. A scientific experiment usually tests relationships among variables or factors that can change. By changing some factors and keeping others the same, a scientist can draw a conclusion about the hypothesis. A good science experiment tests only one variable at a time.  Only the variable being tested is changed and all others are held constant. This is called a controlled experiment. Consider an experiment designed to test the effect of different amounts of fertilizer on plant growth. All groups receive the same amount of sunlight and water. Group A receives 50% phosphorous fertilizer, Group B receives 25% phosphorous fertilizer, Group C receives 10% phosphorous fertilizer, and Group D receives no fertilizer. View the presentation below to learn more about the characteristics, and nature, of Biology. Be sure your volume is set to a reasonable level. In the fertilizer experiment above, which group is the control group? Group D Journal: Conducting an Experiment, 25 points For a science class project, Sandy wants to test the effect of rap music on pea plant growth. She plays loud rap music 24 hours a day to a series of pea plants grown under light and watered daily. At the end of her experiment she concludes that rap is conducive to plant growth. Sandy receives a low grade on this experiment from her teacher. Why did Sandy’s teacher give a low grade for this experiment? What was the key problem with it? How could Sandy change her experiment to fix the problem? Rewrite the experiment so it will receive a better grade. Please submit your journal entry in Unit 1. The assignment is titled N-Journal: Conducting An Experiment. Write your entry in the text editor box and then submit it. For information on how this assignment will be graded, please visit the orientation. Now go on to the next part.

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