Exploring the Nature of Science Concepts

This video introduces eighth-grade science, focusing on the nature of science, distinguishing between science and pseudoscience, and understanding scientific laws and theories. It covers empirical evidence, data collection, and the importance of accuracy and precision in data. The video also explains how to graph data effectively, emphasizing the need for clear labeling and understanding of graph components.

What is the main purpose of science?

• To create new technologies

• To prove personal beliefs

• To better understand our world

• To make money

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-3

Which of the following is an example of pseudoscience?

• Astronomy

• Biology

• Astrology

• Chemistry

What does a scientific law describe?

• Why something happens

• What happens or consistent patterns

• The history of scientific discoveries

• How to conduct an experiment

How does a scientific theory differ from a common everyday theory?

• It is a loose guess

• It is based on gut feelings

• It is a well thought out explanation based on data

• It is always true and never changes

What is empirical evidence?

• Data collected through experience or experiments

• A hypothesis

• A random guess

• A scientific law

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

What is an observation in scientific terms?

• A theory

• A statement based on what we see through our senses

• A test run by scientists

• An educated guess

What is the difference between an observation and an inference?

• Observations are guesses, inferences are data

• Observations describe what we see, inferences explain why things happen

• Observations are always correct, inferences are not

• Observations are theories, inferences are laws

What does accuracy in data mean?

• How close the data is to the correct answer

• How consistent the data is

• How many times you can get the same data

• How well the data is presented

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

What does precision in data mean?

• How consistent the data is

• How close the data is to the correct answer

• How accurate the data is

• How well the data is presented

What is the purpose of a graph in scientific data representation?

• To hide incorrect data

• To confuse the reader

• To easily read and recognize patterns in the data

• To make the data look pretty

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1