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Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Character Witness
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
What characterizes science?
• Science is the systematic study of natural events and conditions.
• In general, all scientific subjects can be broken down into three areas—life science, Earth science, and physical science.
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What characterizes science?
• Life science, or biology, is the study of living things.
• Earth science, or geology, is the study of the surface and interior of Earth.
• Physical science includes physics and chemistry, which involve the study of nonliving matter and energy.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What characterizes science?
• All branches of science have some characteristics in common.
• The study of science requires openness and review. Whatever information one scientist collects, others must be able to see and comment upon.
• All scientific ideas must be testable and reproducible.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What characterizes science?
• Scientific evidence must be open for all to observe. It must be measurable and not just one person’s opinion or guess.
• Empirical evidence includes observations and measurements. It includes the data people gather and test to evaluate scientific explanations.
• The scientist may use specialized tools to make observations and take measurements.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
“Give me an explanation …”
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
What is a scientific explanation?
• A scientific explanation provides a description of how a process in nature occurs.
• Scientific explanations are based on observations and data.
• Beliefs or opinions that are not based on explanations that can be tested are not scientific.
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is a scientific explanation?
• Scientists may start developing an explanation by examining all of the empirical evidence they have.
• Then they think logically about how all this evidence fits together.
• The explanation they propose must fit all the available evidence.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is a scientific explanation?
• Often, other scientists evaluate the explanation by testing it for themselves.
• The additional observations and tests may provide data that further support the explanation.
• If the results do not support the explanation, the explanation is rejected or modified and retested.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is a scientific explanation evaluated?• First, look at your empirical evidence. Think of all
the evidence you could gather to support the explanation.
• Second, consider if the explanation is logical, and whether it contradicts any other evidence.
• Third, identify tests you can do to support your ideas.
• Finally, evaluate the explanation.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
Common Habits
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
What is involved in scientific work?
• Science and the people who study it are diverse. However, scientists have some characteristics in common.
• Scientists are curious, creative, and careful observers. They are also logical, skeptical, and objective.
• When you use these habits of mind, you are thinking like a scientist.
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is involved in scientific work?
• Scientists make careful observations. They observe with their senses and with scientific tools.
• Scientists are curious about the world around them and the things they observe.
• Scientists are creative. They use their imaginations to come up with new explanations, experiments, and solutions.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
What is involved in scientific work?
• Scientists are logical. They use evidence and careful reasoning to develop explanations.
• Scientists are skeptical. They do not immediately accept claims, but they ask questions and evaluate the claims.
• Scientists are objective. They set aside their personal feelings, moods, and beliefs when evaluating something.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
“Space Aliens Built the Pyramids”
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Pseudoscience is a belief or practice that is
based on incorrectly applied scientific methods.
• Pseudoscience can seem like real science, but pseudoscientific ideas are based on faulty logic and are supported by claims that can’t be tested.
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Both science and pseudoscience often involve
topics related to the natural world.
• Pseudoscientific claims can sound logical. Pseudoscience uses technical language or scientific-sounding terms.
• Both science and pseudoscience claim to be supported by empirical evidence.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Unlike science, pseudoscience does not use
accepted scientific methods.
• The evidence supporting pseudoscientific claims may be vague or lack any measurements.
• Some pseudoscientific claims are not testable, and others are supported only by personal experiences.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?
How is pseudoscience similar to and different from science?• Pseudoscientists may claim that results not proven
false must be true. This is faulty logic.
• Scientists must offer evidence for their conclusions. In contrast, pseudoscientists ask skeptics to prove their claims false.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company
Unit 1 Lesson 1 What Is Science?