The Scientific Approach ( or why Chymistry outlasted Magick)
Lab 2
Slide 2
2 Futures Seen CSI? House? Numbers? Myth busters? Wonder about
global warming? Best ways to create jobs? Have views about anything
at all? Want to be the one that solves problems? Science isnt
facts. Facts fuel science. What can you do with information?
Slide 3
3 Experimentation: asking questions Its how we verify important
things about the world Good experimentation: baby monkey Poor
experimentation: kitten
Slide 4
4 Definitions
Slide 5
Albert Einstein Sez... The whole of science is nothing more
than a refinement of everyday thinking.
Slide 6
6 You already do this You stumble out of your room at 4 a.m.
and turn on a lamp Nothing happens Now what? Curse the darkness?
Notes to self: What elements are you employing? Whats your
process?* *Your notes today will be your material for a graded
exercise at days end Take a blank sheet of paper out to start
Slide 7
7 Gonna Science you up The lights not turning on! = observation
Possible explanations = models If I ______, it should _____ =
prediction Execution of prediction = test Gotta catch em all: goal
is to whittle away possibilities until only one is left standing If
only looking at one, challenge it to fail
Slide 8
8 Ways of knowing Empirical--you saw it, touched it, etc.
Reasoned argument from documented/identified assumptions &
previous knowledge Repeatedly established by others that you trust
Intuition arises from experience & mental participation Never:
assertions by authority regardless of the nature (or volume) of
that authority. No, really--never!
Slide 9
Hypothesis testing (a more detailed explanation of science)
Read, Observe, Consider, Intuit Create/Embrace an explanation
(model) Derive predictions Create tests to which you know the
answer* *Because of insights from your model Execute tests
Reject/modify modelGain confidence Repeat Do results make
sense?
Slide 10
The answer, my friend, aint blowin in the wind
Slide 11
Questions What do you think that was a graph of? Youre probably
wrong Ill just tell you It was a Cholera outbreak in the UK Is this
an effective means of displaying the data?
Slide 12
12 Thinking with your nose
Slide 13
Two paper towels will be passed around Give your nose a pass at
each What do you notice? What does the fact of smelling tell you
about involvement of molecules? What does smelling different things
tell you? The Question(s)
Slide 14
C 10 H 14 O The formula for both smells. What can you conclude
about how its bonded?
Slide 15
This is the structural drawing for both smells. What can you
conclude?
Slide 16
The Answer(s) One form of carvone (L-carvone) = spearmint; the
other (D-carvone) is caraway oil The only difference is the
teal-circled carbon. In one, the Hydrogen goes down into the board
(and the -CHCH2CH3 group out), in the other, vice versa. See
StructViewer Even with just your nose, you can figure out a
lot
Slide 17
17 PatternMaster A quest for the rules that order a system
Slide 18
18 Rule Quest *NEIGHBOR definitions are clockwise,
counterclockwise Given 1-step clockwise*, it could be... Perimeter
to top inner color Top inner color to lower left color Lower right
color to lower left color
Slide 19
19 Take a look Bio181M_Go => PatternMaster for Fun Enter a
random # Select Demo
Slide 20
20 Solver After exposure, ask: which is easier to figure
out--WHAT is making a given block happy, or WHO
Slide 21
PMaster, written part Description clearly explains underlying
rule supplemented with examples sufficient to guide someone who
doesnt know the game If proposed solution is wrong or
incomprehensible, points taken OFF & max possible score 40 no
matter what Easy => 90; Medium => 95; Hard => 100 (if
perfect write-up)
Slide 22
22 Quantum Mine Scientifically exploring a black box
Slide 23
23 Rules of the Mine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Box_(game) or...
Slide 24
24 Ordering the unknown In PatternMaster, you conjecture from a
standing start, then test resulting hypotheses Next exercise, youll
investigate building of knowledge, = creation of simplifying view
from initially disparate information Or: Indicator 1-6; Substance A
& B
Slide 25
Molecular Detecting You have 2 samples and 6 chemicals to test
them with Use the same number of drops for each one (consistency is
kind of a big deal in science) Record your data in a chart
(template is in your lab manual (appendix I) Tell me what you
learned (i.e. what behaves similarly, can the reaction be reversed
with the other sample, etc.)
27 Some definitions Science is the human endeavor to achieve a
better understanding of the world by observation, comparison,
experiment, analysis, synthesis, and conceptualization Science is a
body of facts (knowledge) and the concepts that permit explaining
these facts. Both from Ernst Mayr, What makes biology unique p. 140
(Kindle version)
Slide 28
28 Consider... How do you know: The world isnt flat? What trees
are made of? Earth circles the sun? Where you were born?
Slide 29
How NOT to Represent your Data Do you know what the hell this
is telling us? Because I dont.
