John R. Hoffman is a Professor of Biology, public speaker and a scientist examining the recovery of the nervous system after injury. Since 2006 he has written several unpublished manuscripts and he is currently working on the first Nathaniel Smythe novel and short story collection. He spends his spare time with his family and running.

05 Thinking and Acting as a Scientist

Objectives:

By the end of this lecture, the student will be able to:

  1. Describe how scientist collect observations about the world.
  2. Consider how they use the scientific approach in their daily lives.

Thinking and Acting as a Scientist

This mini-lecture introduces the concept of the scientific method.  The handout for this presentation can be downloaded and printed.

Reading

Understanding Science: How Science Really Works. UC Museum of Paleontology of the University of California at Berkeley, in collaboration with a diverse group of scientists and teachers, and funded by the National Science Foundation.

III. How Science Works.

IV. The Core of science.

VII. What has science done for you lately.

VIII. A scientific approach to life.

Assignment: Everyday uses of the scientific method
You are driving down the road when your car suddenly stops…
In your small discussion group: Use the scientific method to determine what caused the car to stop.  Come up with different hypotheses (reasons) for why the car stopped and describe experiments that you can use to test whether or not that is the true cause.

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