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Chapter 1: Chemistry &
You
Criteria of Science
 Consistent
 Observable
 Natural
 Predictable
 Testable
 Tentative
Is it Science?
 Non-science
–
movie ratings, food
preferences
 Pseudoscience –
phrenology,
homeopathy
 Emerging science
– nanochemistry
Chemistry
 The
study of
chemistry
investigates all
substances and the
changes they can
go through.
 submicroscopic
level
Chemistry
Has its roots in the
pseudoscience of
Alchemy
 Separated mixtures
and purified chemicals
 Lavoisier and Boyle
helped change
alchemy into a real
science by introducing
structure and
experimentation.

The Scientific Method Begins
 Curiosity
 Observation,
question, or problem
 “Hmmmmmm”
Let
me think about that.
Hypothesis

Scientific Hypothesis: A testable
statement about the natural world e.g.
Bubbles will last longer in cold
temperatures than in warm.

A hypothesis must be testable, and
be able to be potentially proven right or
wrong.
Scientific Method Cont.
 Experimental
Procedures – Steps
to test our hypothesis.
 Results and Analyze your results.
 Conclusion - Revise your hypothesis
and start over again.
Control & Variables
 Variable
- what you are testing
–Independent Variable – changed
by the experimenter.
–Dependant Variable –changes in
response to the Independent Variable.
 Control
- standard for comparison.
Scientific Method
 After
results are reproducible,
scientific studies are published in
journals.
 Scientists review and critique
published work.
 Science is self correcting and
tentative.
Scientific Theories and Laws
Theory – well tested explanation
that unifies a broad range of
observations and scientific results.
(atomic theory, cell theory)
 Strong predictive abilities (Plate
tectonics).
 Scientific Law: Concise statement
that summarizes the results of many
observations
 e.g., Dalton’s Law, Laws of
Thermodynamics, Law of
Conservation

The Scientific Method
Remember that it is crucial for the data to be analyzed and then adjust your theory
accordingly.
Experimentation
Remember that after experimentation, the
data must be analyzed.
 At this point, one of three things can
happen.

– The hypothesis or theory can be tossed out
because the experimental data disproves it.
– The theory has to be adjusted through more
experimentation.
– The data gives enough information where
predictions can be made and we have a LAW.
Summary

The key is to know the steps of the
scientific method, especially the last step
where an idea; theory or hypothesis, must
be adjusted and the experimentation
begins again. This loop can go on for
centuries. We see this in atomic theory
and plate tectonics.