Safety, Measurement and the Scientific Method study guide summary

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Safety, Measurement and the Scientific Method study guide summary

Safety, Measurement and the Scientific Method

Safety Rules

Never run, push or fool around in the lab
Always wear safety goggles when around chemicals
Follow instructions carefully
Never taste, smell or touch substances
Report chipped/cracked/broken glassware or breakage
Learn the location and use of fire extinguisher and fire blanket
Report accidents immediately
Keep area clean and organized

International System of Units or Metric System
Most popular system of measurement in the world, Logical and easy to use because it is based on powers of ten

Length: Basic unit is the meter, A ruler or meter-stick is commonly used to find the length of an object or a short distance.

Volume: The amount of space a substance occupies
Regular Objects (straight sided object): To find volume of a solid you multiply the length * width * height, expressed in cubic centimeters

Irregular objects (odd shaped object): Water displacement method is used

Fill a graduated cylinder with water, note the water level (watch the meniscus)
Drop in object, note the new water level
Find the difference in water levels

Mass: Measure of the amount of matter in an object, Basic unit is the kilogram, Mass is measured using a balance, Mass is not affected by changes in gravity, Weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object (it is not the same as mass)

Density: Found using the equation mass / volume, The density of water is equal to 1, Objects with a density greater than 1 will sink and less than 1 will float. If the object has a mass equal to 1 it will float.

Temperature: The temperature scale used in the metric system is the Celsius scale,

Boiling point is 100 degrees.
Freezing point is 0 degrees.

Scientific Method
Step 1 the Problem
What are you trying to find out?

Step 2 Research
Gather information about the problem. Research using your notes, textbook, internet or library resources

Step 3 Hypothesis
Hypothesis is a proposed solution or educated “Guess” based on the information. Written as an If …. then… statement
If I do this then this will happen

Step 4 Experimentation
Perform Experiments make sure you perform at least three test trials.
Variables – the thing being tested

Independent (Manipulated): What you are purposely changing
Dependent (Responding): What changes by itself
Control – the thing that stays the same.

Step 5 Data collection and analysis
Record and Analyze Data – measurements and observations. Make a chart to represent data collected and a graph to show the relations between the data set.

Step 6 Conclusion
The conclusion is used to fully explain the results your experiment produced. Make sure you state if your hypothesis was correct or not and explain the reason for this.

Remember three trials at least!!!
One time doesn’t prove a thing!
In class we will use each lab group as a trial averaging everyone's data and making our conclusion.

Theory versus Law
Theory is the most logical explanation for events that occur in nature.
If a hypothesis survives many tests it becomes a scientific law.

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