Topic – (Investigating Science) Detailed Notes on Module 1 & 2

Resource Description

Extensive Notes on both modules

Module 1 – Cause and Effect – Observing

Module 2 – Cause and Effect – Inferences and Generalisations

Module One

Observation is any information acquired through the use of the senses (sight, sound, taste, smell, touch) Scientific investigation is a systematic approach to answer a question about the universe using the scientific method

Scientific Method

Make an observation or observations.
Ask questions about the observations and gather information.
Form a hypothesis — a tentative description of what’s been observed and make predictions based on that hypothesis.
Test the hypothesis and predictions in an experiment that can be reproduced.
Analyse the data and draw conclusions; accept or reject the hypothesis or modify the hypothesis if necessary.
Reproduce the experiment until there are no discrepancies between observations and theory

Inferences are conclusions or guesses based on assumptions. They are scientific opinions and attempt to explain observations using logic and reasoning.

Observers

Archimedes (born 287 BCE)
Devised a method – testing the purity of a golden crown
sitting in a bath – realisation he leapt out of the water, ran naked through the town shouting “Eureka!”.
From his observations we are able to investigate forces, density, and composition.

Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)
found – the “star” moved across the sky; followed by four bright spots – changed positions each night but were always in the same line
Observation – Earth was not the only centre of motion in the solar system – lead to further investigation about the movement of planets, providing support for the heliocentric model

Module Two

Inferences – a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning

Observation is any information acquired through the use of the senses (sight, sound, taste, smell, touch)

Secondary Sources

Use of secondary data/sources

Secondary data in a practical provides a prerequisite of understanding before following through with it.

Difference from primary sources from secondary is the collection of information which has already been researched in comparison to acquiring the information yourself

Usefulness of Secondary Sources

Before an Investigation:

Asking questions
Constructing hypotheses
Developing methods

After an Investigation:

Assessing reliability
Making Inferences and conclusions
Support for ideas in the discussion
Increasing data