Please read Chapter 1 of What is Life? A Guide to Biology before beginning this

Please read Chapter 1 of What is Life? A Guide to Biology before beginning this lab.
The purpose of this lab exercise is to demonstrate that we are all scientists, and do not need to be in a laboratory to be a scientist.When we make an observation and try to explain the observation or ask a question and try to answer that question, we are scientists using all or part of the scientific method, we are thinking scientifically.
Humans have a natural curiosity to seek out answers to questions, thus we are all scientists! The scientific method/thinking is our means to logically answer questions.You would be surprised how often people use the scientific method/thinking (or at least parts of it) to answer questions that arise every day.Science and the scientific method/thinking are everywhere! A great example of the scientific method/thinking in action is with an observation that your car will not start. In an effort to fix your car, you propose possible explanations for this problem: Is it out of gas? The battery? Starter? etc.? With these possible explanations, you have started using the scientific method (formulating hypotheses). Next you devise testable predictions such as: if the car does not have gas, it will not start; if the battery is dead or old, the car will not start; etc. Continuing, you try the possible explanations for your cars failure to start and are now doing “experiments.” You remember that you filled the car up recently, so you eliminate that possibility – it should have plenty of gas.Next you check the battery and find that the car battery was depleted and begin to charge the battery or purchase a new battery if the battery is old.After charging the old battery or putting in the new battery, the car starts. You conclude that the battery was the problem. There you have it! You are a scientist and have used the scientific method/thinking. It could have been the case that the battery was not the issue, and you preceded to another possible explanation. This is very common in the scientific realm of thinking. To recap, the scientific method/thinking consists of five general steps/elements: 1. make an observation; 2. formulate a hypothesis; 3. devise a testable prediction; 4. conduct a critical experiment; and 5. draw conclusions and make revisions.
Part 1.
Now it is your turn to show that you are a scientist by giving two examples of how you would use the scientific method/thinking at home, at work, or in your surroundings to answer two questions.This exercise will allow you to gain experience and practice using the scientific method/thinking by making observations, formulating good hypotheses, designing testable predictions and showing how you would conduct experiments for those predictions.
Independently, you will complete a lab report on each of the two separate observations or questions.You are not being asked to do any experiments, just write about how you would do the experiments if you had supplies and time. Refer to the directions below to help guide you through this exercise. For this lab exercise, complete the following:
Ask one question about something at home, at work, or in your surroundings. Science involves asking questions.
Formulate a hypothesis for your question. Multiple hypotheses are encouraged. For example, with the car not working, could it have been out of gas? A problem with the starter? Something else? It would not be wise in our example about the car to conclude it was the starter without checking the gas level and battery. Often times we choose the simplest and most logical explanations to test.This is similar to our car example. The battery and gas are much easier and less expensive to check and fix than the starter.Also, as in our car example, we want to include multiple hypotheses (possible explanations) when possible.
Devise a testable prediction for each hypothesis.
Design an experiment to try and answer the question. You are not going to perform the experiment.For example, I may not even have a car, but I could propose several possibilities about why it would not start (if I had a car).I could describe how I checked the gas gauge to make certain it had gas. I used cables to try and “jump start” the car.I may describe having the car towed to a repair shop where a new starter was installed. This lab exercise is not about “doing” the experiment, but understanding the process of the scientific method.
Could you do the experiment at home?Would it cost too much? Take too much time?
Is your experiment repeatable?
Possible results of your experiments?
What new observations or questions arise during the course of your experiment or after you have completed your experiment?
Repeat the above steps with a second question.
For each lab report, write in paragraph format, 12 pt Times New Roman font, double spaced with 1 inch margins.Clearly describe the question, list possible hypotheses and describe testable predictions and experiments.If you cannot describe how to perform tests/experiments to explain your question, you need to come up with another question.
Remember, science cannot answer questions that cannot be tested.Remember, from your book, science cannot answer the question – “Is a _______beautiful?”
SafeAssign will check for plagiarism. Plagiarism will result in a grade of 0.
Part 2.
Walk around outside or look out a window where you live – on campus, in your neighborhood.If you have access to a park, walk around a park. Make a list of 10 questions about the natural/living world.Submit these questions.This is the first step in the scientific method/Thinking.
How to submit this exercise: Submit this exercise as a Microsoft Word document (.doc, docx) , PDF or Powerpoint with Part 1 and Part 2 clearly indicated to Scientific Method/Thinking Lab Exercise. Do not submit as any other file type or format. Some file types cannot be opened on a university computer so please be careful. This lab is worth 10 points. Check the calendar for the closing date.