1. 1. Describe the types of questions that can be answered through scientific investigations. 2.Ask questions that can be answered through scientific investigations.

2.  Can all questions be answered by science?  What makes a question “scientific”?  What questions CANNOT be answered by science?

3.  Scientific questions relate to how the universe around us works and why it works the way it does.  Scientific questions MUST refer to aspects of the physical universe that are observable, preferably measurable.

4.  Scientific questions generally take this form: How does ______ affect ______ ?  Examples:  How does latitude affect rainfall in North America?  How does temperature affect the growth of e. Coli?  How does concentration affect the reaction rates of given acids and bases?

5.  In your notebook, write down five scientific questions about a car.

6.  Identifying the question for your primary investigation will probably be the most difficult part of the project.  The question has to be something YOU are interested in, or it will be a long, difficult year working on a project you don’t really care about.

7.  A good way to find a question is to start with a topic that interests you.  For example:  Pollution  Lungs  Fish  Motors  Electricity

8.  Then get specific about the topic.  For example:  Pollution in the pond in the park  Lungs of athletes vs couch potatoes  Goldfish in a home aquarium  Motors in cars  Electricity used for Christmas lights

9.  Then get more specific about the topic.  For example:  Pollution from nitrate fertilizer runoff from the flower beds in the park  Lungs of high school girls who exercise vs those who don’t  How active are goldfish in a home aquarium?  Gasoline vs diesel motors in cars

10.  Then get even more specific about the topic.  For example:  How does the amount of nitrates in the pond water vary before, during and after it rains?  Does the lung capacity of 16-18 year-old girls change with the amount of exercise they get?  How does the temperature of water affect how fast goldfish swim?

11.  Homework assignment:  Every Wednesday until you identify your primary investigation question, come to class with 15 questions written in your research notebook.

12.  Sample question for today: How does tire pressure affect the gas mileage of a car?