1. Introduction to Earth Science
Scientific Inquiry and the Nature of Technology

2. What is Science? A way of:
Learning about the natural world
Exploring problems and answering
questions about the natural world
The goal is to understand the world around us

3. Thinking like a Scientist
Observing – Using one or more of your senses to gather information (sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell)
Qualitative- Use senses
Quantitative- Numbers
Inferring –Explaining or interpreting
things you observe
Doesn’t mean guessing wildly
Based on reasoning from what you already know

4. Still Thinking Like a Scientist
Predicting – Making a forecast of what will happen in the future based on past experience or evidence
Scientific Attitudes – Includes curiosity, honesty, open-mindedness, skepticism, and creativity

5. Scientific Inquiry
Refers to the ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence they gather

6. Steps of Scientific Inquiry
Posing Questions- Often begins with a problem or question about an observation

7. Steps of Scientific Inquiry
Developing a Hypothesis – A possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific questions
Must be testable
Investigations and evidence will either support or disprove

8. Steps of Scientific Inquiry
Designing an Experiment
Controlled experiment – a test of a hypothesis under conditions established by the scientist
Variable - one of the factors that can change in an experiment
Manipulated variable – The variable that the scientist changes
Responding variable – The variable that changes because of the manipulated variable
Operational definition – Describes how to measure a particular variable or define a particular term

9. Steps of Scientific Inquiry
Collecting and Interpreting Data
Data – The facts, figures, and other evidence gathered through observations
After data has been collected it needs to be interpreted
Graphs can help with interpreting data by revealing patterns and/or trends

10. Steps of Scientific Inquiry
Drawing Conclusions – A conclusion is a decision about how to interpret what you learned from an experiment
Conclusions may:
Support a hypothesis
Show a hypothesis to be incorrect
Need more data before conclusions
can be reached
*Not always the endpoint…results often lead to
new questions, new hypotheses, and new experiments

11. Steps of Scientific Inquiry
Communicating Results – The sharing of ideas and experimental findings with others through writing and speaking

12. Scientific Theories and Laws
Scientific Theory – A well tested scientific concept that explains a wide range of observations
Has withstood repeated tests
Will be changed or abandoned if tests fail to support

13. Scientific Theories and Laws
Scientific Law – A statement that describes what scientists expect to happen every time under a particular set of conditions
Describes an observed pattern in nature but does not provide an explanation for it

14. Earth Science
Earth Science – Deals with the study of the Earth, its history, changes, and its place in the Universe
Three guiding ideas:
Structure of the Earth System
Made up of four spheres
Lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere
Earth History- constructive and destructive forces have changed the Earth’s surface over its 4.6 billion year history
Earth in the Solar System

15. Branches of Earth Science
Geology – Study of the solid Earth and the forces that shape it over time
Oceanography – Study of the Earth’s oceans
Meteorology – Study of the Earth’s atmosphere and the weather occurring there
Astronomy - Study of the Universe beyond Earth
Environmental Science – Studies Earth’s environment and resources, looking at the effects of human activity

16. Nature of Technology What is Technology?
Technology is how people change the world around them to meet their needs or to solve practical problems
The goal of technology is to improve the way people live
New technologies change society by changing how people live

17. Major Areas of Technology
Manufacturing technology
Communication technology
Transportation technology
Construction technology
Energy & Power technology
Biological & Chemical technology

18. How Science Relates to Technology
Science is the study of the
natural world
Technology aims to change
or modify the natural world to
meet human needs or solve
problems

19. How Science Relates to Technology
People who develop technology are called engineers, not scientist
An engineer is trained to use both technological and scientific knowledge to solve practical problems
Scientist use scientific inquiry when looking for answers, while engineers use the engineering design process to solve problems