Lab 1: Scientific Method

1. The scientific method has five core steps: (1) Observation — notice something in the natural world. (2) Question — ask why or how it happens. (3) Hypothesis — make a testable 'if...then...because' prediction. (4) Experiment — design a controlled test. (5) Conclusion — interpret results and decide if the hypothesis is supported.
2. A hypothesis is NOT a guess. It is a specific, testable prediction grounded in prior knowledge. 'Plants grow faster in sunlight than in shade because chlorophyll requires light for photosynthesis' is a hypothesis. 'Plants like sunlight' is not.
3. Every experiment has exactly one independent variable (what you change) and one dependent variable (what you measure). All other conditions are controlled variables — kept identical across trials.
4. Data types: quantitative data has numbers and units (timing a reaction in seconds). Qualitative data describes observable qualities (color change, texture). Lab 1 likely uses both — record all observations, not just the measurements.
5. Repeated trials reduce random error. Running an experiment three times and averaging the results is more reliable than a single trial. Report your number of trials in the methods section.
6. A conclusion is NOT the same as a results summary. Results say what happened. A conclusion explains why it happened, whether it supported the hypothesis, and what sources of error may have affected the results.
7. Falsifiability is a requirement: a hypothesis that cannot be proven wrong by any experiment is not a scientific hypothesis. 'The Earth formed 6,000 years ago because a higher power created it' is not falsifiable.
8. Lab 1 uses a timer as its key tool. Timing is a form of quantitative measurement. Record times in seconds or minutes, not 'short' or 'long.'

Discussion post

1. Introduce yourself: your name, your major or career interest, and why you enrolled in BIO 1120.
2. Describe one moment from your daily life where you naturally used scientific thinking — even informally (noticing a pattern, forming a quick hypothesis, testing it).
3. What is one environmental science question you hope this course helps you answer?
4. Reply to two classmates: find one thing you have in common with them about either your interest in science or your environmental question.

Netiquette from the syllabus: address ideas, not people. Complete sentences, correct spelling. Personal matters go to email, never the board.

Ask at home: If you could design one experiment to test anything you've wondered about in your daily life, what would you test — and how would you know if your hypothesis was right?

En español: Si pudieras diseñar un experimento para probar cualquier cosa que te haya preguntado en tu vida diaria, ¿qué probarías — y cómo sabrías si tu hipótesis fue correcta?