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Introduction and the Scientific Method
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All living things share similar characteristics
o Organized in a specific way
o Need and acquire energy
o Maintain an internal constancy (homeostasis)
o Reproduce, grow, and develop
o Evolve
The Scientific Method
o Scientific knowledge is the information about the natural world
o The scientific method is the process of collecting or acquiring scientific
knowledge
o Composed of multiple parts
▪ Observation
▪ Hypothesis --> a tentative explanation for an observation; is either
supported or not supported by evidence found through the experiment
▪ Prediction --> a statement made to test your hypothesis, often in an
"if…then" statement
▪ Experiment --> by which both the prediction and hypothesis are tested
• Must be conducted under controlled conditions
• Has variables
• The independent variable is what you control
• The dependent variable is what you measure
• The control variable is what stays the same, and is often used as
a standard for comparison
• Usually have two different groups receiving different treatments
• The experimental group receives the treatment
• The control group does not receive the treatment
• A double blind study is when neither the researchers nor the subjects
know which group is getting the treatment and which is getting the
placebo --> helps prevent bias during interpretation of results
▪ Conclusion --> was the hypothesis supported?
o A theory is a broad explanation for a phenomenon that has been tested
repeatedly and has found to be reliable accurate (evolution, gravity, germ theory,
string theory)
o Results are made known in scientific journals for peer review and popular press
for the general public



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