Understanding Fossil Butte In the southwest corner of Wyoming, there is a flat-topped mountain called Fossil Butte. A fossil of a fish was found near the top of the Fossil Butte in a rock formation that is about 50 million years old. Fossils of other kinds of fish, as well as turtles, have been found at Fossil Butte. The land around Fossil Butte is dry, and the Pacific Ocean is more than 1000 km (454 miles) away. How could fossils of sea-dwelling animals have formed at Fossil Butte?

Understanding Fossil Butte Working with a partner, think of several questions that a scientist might ask in order to understand why there are fish fossils in the desert of Wyoming. Write these questions on a sheet of paper. Discuss your questions with your partner, and suggest a possible answer to each question. How could a scientist go about fishing an answer to each of the questions? What other kinds of fossils have been found here? Is there evidence that a lake or inland sea existed in Wyoming at the time the fish lived here? Students ma not be able to suggest answers for all of their questions. Students may know that most fish fossils are formed in layers of mud and sand, which is evidence that the are was once under water. Scientists would have to dig to look for more fossils and catalog what is fond in the same layers with the fish. Geologists would have to map the fossil deposit and look for evidence of a lake shore or inland sea.

The Scientific Method & Parts of the Experiment WHAT IS SCIENCE? The Scientific Method & Parts of the Experiment

GOALS OF SCIENCE To investigate and understand nature To explain events in nature To use those explanations to make useful predictions

The Scientific Method There are 7 main steps to the scientific method: Observation Stating the Problem Forming a Hypothesis Setting up a controlled experiment Recording and analyzing the results Drawing conclusions Repeat experiment and report results

STATING THE PROBLEM This can be in the form of a question or statement. Implies that an observation has been made to lead to a question… Science is based on experimentation and observation Observations can be: Made directly with your senses Color Taste Shape Feel Smell

INFERENCES In contrast to observations, which are things that we see or measure, inferences are conclusions based only on observation The only rule of inferring is to be logical They are always tentative, meaning, they are not final explanations Usually changed when new information is gained, or observations are made

FORMING A HYPOTHESIS A “testable” statement, a possible explanation that explains known facts and predicts new facts 3 Keys to a scientific hypothesis: Makes a prediction Can be tested Can be falsified Should be in the form “If... then…” Cause and Effect

Let’s look at an example: “If I change the type of dog food my dog eats, then he will eat less and lose weight.” With a person sitting near you, evaluate this hypothesis to see if it has the 3 characteristics of a good hypothesis.

Non Scientific Hypotheses… do not have all 3 characteristics. Example: Crop Circles… Huh? What’s a crop circle?

Crop Circles?

Crop Circle?

Crop circle?

Crop Circle?

Hypothesis… People believed (and some still believe) that these circles were created by alien spacecraft . Hypothesis: If I cannot explain these crop circles because I did not see anyone make them, then aliens from outer space must have made them. With a partner, see if the 3 rules fit this hypothesis…

Results… How do you test for the presence of aliens? How could you possibly prove this wrong? It does, however, make a prediction….a bad one.

DESIGNING AN EXPERIMENT Must have several things: VARIABLES Experimental Group(s) receives all of the conditions of the experiment Independent (manipulated) Variable – one thing that is changed Dependent (responding) Variable – measurable result of the independent variable Control Group receives all of the conditions of the experiment except one (the independent variable) PROCEDURE Must be clear and detailed

RECORDING & ANALYZING DATA RECORDING DATA Numerical data should be graphed and/or tabled Observations should be written in clear, complete sentences. TWO TYPES OF DATA Qualitative – descriptive; a behavior or appearance Quantitative – numerical data Data Table Independent variable (unit) Dependent variable (unit)

RECORDING & ANALYZING DATA Attempt to figure out what the collected data means… why did it happen as it did? Graph Title: Dependent variable vs. Independent variable Dependent variable (unit) Independent variable (unit)

FORM CONCLUSIONS Be sure to draw conclusions based on the data collected. Make inferences based on prior knowledge and the new knowledge gained in the experiment. DO NOT restate the procedure or simply restate the results… How do the results compare to your hypothesis? How can this data be used further? What other tests could be done?

Reporting Results Where do the results get published? In peer-edited journals People doing the science are the editors of the magazines/journals. This ensures that only valid, error-free data is published. What are some examples of these journals? New England Journal of Medicine Nature Journal of Applied Physics Journal of Molecular Chemistry What are some example of non-peer-reviewed journals: Discover magazine - Time Magazine National Geographic - People Magazine