Black Box

Science Any approach that involves the gaining of knowledge to explain the natural world Scientists test ideas by gathering evidence It is a very creative endeavor

Hypothesis testing Hypothesis are “educated guesses” which are potential explanations of a particular natural phenomenon

Flower bed example Two flower beds Seeds from same packet One in front yard/one in back yard You notice the plants in front yard are much taller than those in the back You come up with several possible explanations (hypotheses) as to why

Hypothesis – more light in front yard What evidence do you gather to test this idea?

You could place light meters in the front and back If light is shown to be greater in front, your hypothesis is supported. OR you can test assumption by testing directly by setting up an experiment, growing seeds under different light conditions. You would predict that before plants grew, that the seeds exposed to more light would grow taller.

In both experiments Gathering evidence to test your hypothesis that light exposure differences may lead to difference in plant growth. The results of tests of ideas may either support or fail to support a particular hypothesis.

If the results fail to support original hypothesis A new revised hypothesis can be formed and tested

If the hypothesis supported by results IT DOESN’T MEAN A STOPPING POINT HAS BEEN REACHED Just because there is a correlation between the amount of light the two sections of your yard receives and plant height And light contributes to plant growth does not necessarily mean that different light levels has caused the differences in plant heights you observed between your front and back yards. Some other factor might be the prominent contributing factor (soil, watering).

Scientific theory A well substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world that can incorporate facts, laws, inferences, and test hypotheses.

When finished – report to class Approach taken to the problem Hypothesis constructed Steps used to test hypotheses Revisions to hypotheses inspired by testing process Two object you feel are in the Black Box and why

Warm Up – September 2, 2014 You will need a new piece of paper Make sure to have your name, period and date on your warm up Last week your participated in the Black Box lab. At the end of class, you predicted what two objects were in the box. How sure are you that it is these two items? Please give a percentage for each object – for instance, object “A” 90% sure and object “B” 25% sure. What would you need in order to feel 100% about your prediction for both objects?

Presentations Each group will present how they came to consensus on what is in the Black Box. What steps/procedure did you take specifically (weight, sound, a combination of the two, etc.)? Each group will present what two items they believe is in their Black Box and why they think this. You will also present a percentage to show how sure you are of your results (10% sure? 95% sure).

AFTER PRESENTATIONS

Did you all approach this problem the same way? Prediction – inference about the future based on your observations

No! Science is a creative process

The “Black Box” is a metaphor for Science

Black Box

White Box

Think about these questions? How does the body heal a broken bone? Why does water expand when it freezes? How does a tree convert sunlight to energy for growth?

How do we turn the black box to white? Come up with possible explanations for how things might work Test, revised, and retested ideas This is how science inquiry works

Science cannot absolutely verify something as true… Can we get consensus on what is in the black box? Back to testing! You may use techniques others reported for yourselves in the second go at determining what is in the Black Boxes.

New Poll – What Do We Think Is In The Black Box Now?

Well? Did we change our ideas? Let’s see Has the community discussion and/or additional examination using new approaches changed the proportion of teams that feel a particular pair of item is in the black box or that a particular item is present?

Dissenting views drive further assessment And are welcomed

Science cannot completely verify something as true The interaction of the various element of science often leads to new techniques, tools, and approaches, allowing scientist to have greater confidence in their assessment of questions.

New Techniques and/or Technology New approaches may be developed based on inspiration from other scientific work or even result from arguments made by scientists with dissenting opinions concerning the consensus view of prior testing of an idea.

X-Ray While we are moving towards the truth, we cannot truly verify what is in the Black Box. If we could, it would no longer be a black box but a white box.

What if you just guessed what was in the box? Would your percent of accuracy be higher or lower? Why? What did we use that increased the accuracy of our prediction?

Can you match what you did to this chart?

Vocabulary ISNs – page 21 Prediction – an inference about the future based on your observations