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Introduction
to
Physical Science Class
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What is science? |
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Science is
a never-ending search for truth. Truth is based on a set of facts and our
understanding of those facts. A good scientist must be ready to accept new
facts as they are discovered and modify what is "true" in light of these
facts. Even though science in school is usually taught in classes that are
limited to a certain area, such as chemistry or physics, science is science,
no matter what topic is involved. Science is being done whenever the scientific
method All students of science should have an understanding of the basic science
history timeline. |
Pure science is the gathering of information that adds to the
body of human knowledge. Pure science is not directly concerned with the practical
use and application of the information. Applied science, also known as technology,
is the practical use of scientific information.
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Physical science is the first year science class at Desert Vista High School. Students are expected to be familiar with computers and some of their applications when they enter this class. During the school year, those skills will be polished and used to produce several research projects. Chemistry and physics are the "physical sciences".
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Chemistry, the study of the structure and properties of
matter. (1st semester) Commonly used software:
As a student at Desert Vista High School,
you have an opportunity to use the latest information technology available. The
following software is used most often to report research information in
Physical Science Class.
- Microsoft Word: This
program is used to create text material that can be either read on a
computer screen or printed on paper.
This
information is most often meant to be viewed by one person at a time so
the text size can be small. "Standard" font size is 12 to 14
point.
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Microsoft
PowerPoint: This program is used to display text and graphics to
a group. It can be used in support of an oral presentation or as a stand-alone,
automatically run program. PowerPoint can also be used to add text or artwork
to graphics files.
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PowerPoint is a "presentation graphics" program. It is used to visually provide information to a group of people - not just one person sitting in front of a computer. Color combinations and font size must make the slides easily read from a distance. Refer to this grade rubric for more details. |
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Microsoft Excel: This program is used to produce spreadsheets of data
that can then be converted into graphs.
Once the data is correctly typed into the Excel spreadsheet, changing the way
the data is displayed in graph form will not alter the data. There are many
types of displays to choose from.
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WebPage Publishing: There are several software packages available to
publish webpages.
Student
webpages in DVHS science classes are made for the sole purpose of providing
information. Any graphics used must support your information without making the
page slow to load. There are differences between informative webpages and those
that are meant entertain. These differences are the things you will be asked to
learn this year.
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Graphical analysis:
This
program is used to produce graphs and analyze data.
The
Scientific Method
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Why is science research done? |
Science is a search for truth. 
The scientific method is an organized way to figure something out.
Any question or problem can be solved using the scientific method
Homework 2.1 Thickness of Aluminum foil Lab
Answer the Analyze and Conclude questions 1-4 on page27.
Read pages 1-6 in the Physical Science Textbook.
Analyze
and conclude Page 27
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What is the independent variable in an experiment? |
Graphing
Calculators:
A scientific calculator will make your life
easier this year in physical science class. Can you find the calculator program
on your computer?
All scientific experiments will produce some
results that require careful observation to understand. Many times, these
observations will be in the form of measurements called "data". To
interpret the results of an experiment, it is necessary to be able to evaluate
this data. Although there are several ways to display data, making a graph
is one way to help make data visual.
There are several type of graphs. Each type
works best with a particular type of information.
- Line graph - shows
trends or how data changes over time. This is one of the most useful
graphs for scientific data.
- Bar graph - displays
information collected by counting.
- Circle or Pie graph -
shows how a fixed quantity is broken down into parts.
Whether making or interpreting graphs,
it is important to understand how graphs are constructed.
Bar Graphs & Pie Charts
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Bar graphs are best suited to what type of information? |
- Bar graph - displays
information collected by counting.
Bar graphs are best suited to counted or qualitative
information. Although you can see
trends in the bars you cannot calculate slope. 
- Circle or Pie graph - shows how a fixed quantity is broken down into parts. .
Homework 2.3 Graphing:
This assignment must be turned in by the beginning of class tomorrow to
receive credit.
Using
Technology
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What is applied science? |
Graphing on computer.
HW 2.4 graphing handout
given in class
Day 5
Precision vs. Accuracy
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How is precision different than accuracy? |
Precision vs. Accuracy lab Page 18 of text.
HW
answer questions 1-3 on page 18
Science is a search for truth.
The methods of science can be used to solve any problem, not just those related
to science subjects in school.
Applied science is the practical use of scientific information.
Today's technology is an example of finding practical applications for
knowledge gained from pure science.
Lack of pre-lab preparation is the main threat to lab safety.
You cannot be safe and successful doing a science experiment if you haven't
researched the problem carefully.
Research is done to gather information to help in forming a hypothesis.
Research is NOT performing an experiment. Research is a search for information.
Once you know what is published about your problem you will be able to make an
informed hypothesis.
The independent variable in an experiment is controlled by the
experimenter.
Anything that affects the results of an experiment is a variable. Successful
experiments are designed to eliminate as many "unknown" variables as
possible. A perfect experiment will only have two variables, the independent
variable and the variable for which you are gathering information.
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Penny Lab- Continue Penny lab in class today. Do not forget to do your research on
the composition of the penny.
Construct your penny lab graph. Year vs. Mass Write your conclusion. How does the data support or discredit your hypothesis? Be careful do not draw conclusions
about things you have not tested. |
