Chapter 1 - Intro

What is an observation? When you observe, you become aware of something using one of your senses. Your five senses are smell, taste, sight, touch, and sound. I an observation you simply describe something as it appears. What is an inference? When you infer, you make a mental judgment based on observations. Inferences cannot be directly observed. They require thought.

Steps in the Scientific Method 1. Observations Quantitative-involving numbers Qualitative-not numerical like color or texture. 2. Formulating hypotheses possible explanation for the observation 3. Performing experiments gathering new information to decide whether the hypothesis is valid

The fundamental steps of the scientific method.

Law vs. Theory A law summarizes what happens; A theory (model) is an attempt to explain why it happens.

The Fundamental SI Units