What is Biology?:
What is Biology? The Study of Life. Study is an active verb. You have to DO stuff. Examples of stuff: Listen in class Take notes in class Perform the activities Pay attention Critical Thinking!
Critical Thinking?:
Critical Thinking? Observation and Experimentation: Keep your eyes and mind open Record what you perceive (Be Honest). It is every bit as good for a hypothesis to be proven wrong as it is to be proven right.
Scientific Method:
Scientific Method HYPOTHESIS: An idea that can be tested. This is NOT a blind guess. The results of the test must be measurable. I can test whether adding water to a fish tank helps the fish to live. I can NOT test whether fish “like” living in the water. I can only test facts and figures – not perceptions and opinions
Follow the Steps:
Follow the Steps Observe a phenomenon: Can be anything but we need to keep it as simple and narrow of scope as possible. Ex. Could we do an experiment involving all the people in the world? Do background research. We are not trying to solve the problem or answer the question yet, we just want to know more about what is going on. Formulate a HYPOTHESIS. State your problem preferably in the form of an “If/Then” statement that can be tested by measurable quantities. Experiment Experiment Experiment . Once is never enough Draw a conclusion FROM YOUR EXPERIMENT. Just because your experiment data did not support your hypothesis does not mean you are wrong. Report: Tell the newspapers. Tell somebody. Knowledge that is not shared is wasted.
Results:
Results If we follow the scientific method correctly and rigorously we end up with a theory. THEORY: A Conclusion based on scientific observation and experimentation. A theory must be supported by multiple independent researchers drawing the same conclusions after recreating an experiment under identical conditions.
Is it the RIGHT Answer:
Is it the RIGHT Answer In science we say “The evidence supports the theory.” This is another way of saying “It is the right answer until a better one comes along.” Theories can be replaced by following the scientific method and providing enough repetition. For grading purposes we will accept the answer best supported by the preponderance of evidence as the “right” answer but bear in mind that only in religion and philosophy are there absolute answers.