Transcript What is Chemistry and Scientific Method

CHEMISTRY!!
 What
is it?? Why are we here??
“are all chemicals bad?”
 No,
but some can be dangerous
 Chemicals are everywhere
 Which
brings us to…
What is Chemistry?
 the
study of matter and the changes
that it undergoes.
What is Matter?
 anything
that has mass and takes up
space
What is Mass?
a
measurement of the amount of
matter in an object
Mass verses Weight
 They
are related, but what’s the
difference?
 Mass
is universal, weight depends on
gravity
 Weight
= mass times the gravitational pull
Branches of Chemistry
 Organic
 Inorganic
 Analytical
 Physical
 Biochemical
Organic
 Area
of Emphasis
 Most carbon-containing chemicals
 Examples:
Pharmaceuticals
 Plastics

Inorganic
 Area
of Emphasis
 In general, matter that does not
contain carbon
 Examples:
Minerals
 Metals and nonmetals
 Semi-conductors

Analytical
 Area
of Emphasis
 Components and composition of
substances
 Examples:
Food Nutrients
 Quality Control

Physical
 Area
of Emphasis
 The behavior and changes of
matter and the related energy
changes
 Examples:
 Reaction Rates
 Reaction Mechanisms
Biochemical
 Area
of Emphasis
 Matter and processes of living
organisms
 Examples:
Metabolism
 Fermentation

Next, the Scientific
Method
Why do we have the
scientific method?
Gives us logical steps to follow to
assist us in answering a question.
What are the “steps”?
 Observe
and Develop a question
 Conduct background research and observe
 Form a hypothesis and observe
 Observe and Test using an experiment
 Make observations and collect data
 Analyze your results
 Observe and Draw conclusions
 Report results and test again
5 EASY steps
 1.
State the problem (ask a question)
 2. Come up with a hypothesis


 3.
Must be testable
Must be in “if / then” format
Experiment
 4. Collect and Analyze Data
 5. Form conclusions (reflect back to your
hypothesis!!!!!)
Parts of an experiment
Some Vocab 
Independent Variable
 Part
of the experiment that the scientist
changes
 What is being tested
 There is only one independent variable at
a time.
Dependent Variable
Part of the experiment that
changes because of the
independent variable
Control
Part of the experiment that does
not receive the independent
variable
Constants
Part of the experiment that remain
the same for every part of the
experiment
Types of Data
 Quantitative

Data that is numerical in nature
 Qualitative

Data that is descriptive in nature
An example experiment
A
person wants to test whether music can
help make plants grow. The person plants
several seeds from the same batch into
identical flower pots with identical potting
soil, watering schedule and light supply.
One flower pot is isolated from the sound
supply, while the other pots are subjected
to various types of music. After 1 month,
the “healthiness” of each plant is
measured.