To Dr. Jann, this is the most important concept in this chapter, this course, maybe
even in this university or this universe.
As you read chapter 1 and participate in class
activities, you should try to connect EVERYTHING to this concept.
The scientific method is
a process which disproves false claims. Is a scientific theory just an opinion or belief?
Is it more tentative than a law or a fact or a hypothesis? Is anything absolutely true in
science? Is a scientific proof different from a legal proof or a mathematical proof?
How can you know what to believe about West Nile virus, anthrax, smallpox
vaccination, nutrition, medications, global warming, world hunger,
evolution,
cloning, DNA tests, stem cell research, and other controversial topics?
"Science can only state what is, not what should
be." Einstein, 1950.
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| NOTE: This study
guide is designed to be used with a live computer. It
will be accessible all semester. Making a print-out is
not recommended, but it's not forbidden. It's
better to "cut and paste" the parts you want to
review into your own personally re-organized set of notes in
your own computer files. |
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The key to chapter one is the use of
scientific logic in these examples:
-
the Pasteur experiment, pp. 1-4 and
activity 1.2 on your textbook CD
or webpage
-
hypotheses about giraffe necks, pp.
10-12
-
the Zonosemata experiments, pp.
12-14 and activity 1.2 on your textbook CD
or webpage
-
The most important point for these three
examples and mucho more examples throughout the semester
is
to be able to identify in each example these parts:
-
the hypothesis (or
hypotheses for more than one hypothesis):
a hypothesis is usually
the answer to a question about cause and effect.
-
the design of the experiment
which could disprove the hypothesis: the
treatment, the controls or comparisons, the sample
sizes, predicted results (the measurements).
-
the actual results, usually summarized on
graphs or tables (and it's really
important to be able to interpret graphs; making graphs
yourself will be important on some labs and tests)
-
the logical conclusion: did
the results disprove the hypothesis? And why: what
results would be logically predicted for this
hypothesis?
-
why the experiment was important:
does it disprove a theory? are potential
applications useful medically or ecologically or
economically?
-
(In this course you will download a form
to
summarize these five parts of every experiment we
study.)
-
Scan the other pages for understanding WHAT you will learn to analyze in this
course, but focus on the three textbook examples which show you HOW you will analyze these topics: the
scientific method. We will use the scientific method every day in this course.
(The "WHAT" parts of the chapter will
be revisited again later in this semester.)
- Here is a checklist of vocabulary terms:
- MOST IMPORTANT: theory, hypothesis, hypothesis testing, observational study, experimental
study, results, predicted results, conclusion, experimental control, random / randomization,
sample size, cell
- OTHERS: taxonomy, genus, species,
phylogeny, phylogenetic tree of life, evolution,
population, heritable trait, natural selection, descent
with modification, artificial selection (you will
not be tested on these terms for the first quiz or first
test, but knowing them will make reading the textbook
MUCH easier)
- These terms are not defined in the textbook, but you will need to use them in
interpreting research news:
- law --a scientific law is a general description about related
categories or events. Theories come from hypotheses which explain
causes and functions and mechanisms, but laws come from hypotheses which describe groups
of similar events, like the laws of motion or Mendel's laws of inheritance. Both
theories and laws are equally subject to testing. In other words, a scientific law
can be disproved. A scientific law is NOT less tentative than a scientific theory.
On page 2 ("Where Do Cells Come From?")
your textbook says, "Most theories have two
components. One component describes a
pattern...." This
pattern-describing component is what some textbooks and
scientists call a law. No matter what you
call it, if it's scientific it is subject to being
disproved.
- clinical trial is an experiment on human beings, usually involving
medical treatments.
- placebo (pronounced plah-SEE-bow) is a "fake" treatment like
a sugar pill given to the control group. Translate this: "double-blind
placebo-controlled clinical trial."
- proof, prove, true, truth, verify, certain are all
words which should NOT be applied to scientific hypotheses or laws or facts or
evidence. Your instructor will be truly inspired if you use
these words describing scientific results on tests and reports.
- Key question: Can you summarize the three examples
in "experiment summary" form? [This summary will be explained during
the first lecture and practiced during Lab
1. (yes, lab meets even the first
week of school. If you don't get a fast start, can a
university student expect to )
- Other questions which are like test and quiz
questions for chapter 1, also featured on textbook
webpage::
- the quiz questions from activity 1.2 (the Zonosemata
experiments also on your textbook
CD)
- "Content Review" (beginning page
15) #2*, 3, 4, 6
- "Conceptual Review" #5
- "Applying" #1, 3, 5, 6,
7 (quizzes have
mostly multiple choice questions; tests have a mix of
quiz-type questions and subjective questions like those
in "Conceptual Review" and "Applying
Ideas.")
- diagram review #1
- practice quiz
(not from textbook website)
- Related articles (not required, just FYI):
- Keep in mind that everything you read should relate to the chapter's most important
concept:
Try filling out the experiment
summary form for one of each of these three textbook cases (3
forms).
-
the Pasteur experiment, pp. 1-4, and activity 1.2 on your textbook CD
or webpage
-
hypotheses about giraffe necks, pp.
10-12
-
the Zonosemata experiments, pp.
12-14 and activity 1.2 on your textbook CD
or webpage
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