The Scientific Method/Controlled
Experiment Paper:
CHM 1025C Bishop Chapter 1: section
1.3 Page 7
Scientific Observations Assignment: During a CHM 1025C?CHM 1032C
Lab Period, the students will watch the following Hollywood movie and write a
minimum two page double spaced word processed paper due after Thanksgiving holiday
during a Fall Term or after Spring Break during a Spring Term. Students may
check this movie out from the FSCJ FCCJ
Library, Public Library or even purchase the video. You may take your notes on
this handout and not use your lab
notebook to take notes for this work.
Objectives:
- To understand or distinguish
between and apply the words: science, scientific law, scientific method,
scientific model, theory, experiment, controlled experiment, and
hypothesis.
- To gain experience in recording
and explaining experimental observations through a
- To observe the scientific
method in action by “Hollywood Scientists” in the movie.
- To recognize that the human
body needs to be sterilized before working in a sterile lab or otherwise
the human needs to wear a clean suit with a self contained breathing
apparatus so as to not contaminate the environment.
- To understand pH, acidosis, and
alkalosis
Movie Film: Andromeda Strain – 1971
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
The best-selling novel by Michael Crichton was
faithfully adapted for this taut 1971 thriller, about a team of scientists
racing against time to destroy a deadly alien virus that threatens to wipe out
life on Earth. As usual with any Crichton-based movie, the emphasis is on an
exciting clash between nature and science, beginning when virologists discover
the outer-space virus in a tiny town full of corpses. Projecting total
contamination, the scientists isolate the deadly strain in a massive, high-tech
underground lab facility, which is rigged for nuclear destruction if the virus
is not successfully controlled. The movie spends a great
deal of time covering the scientific procedures of the high-pressure
investigation, and the rising tensions between scientists who have been forced
to work in claustrophobic conditions.
It's all very
fascinating if you're interested in scientific method and technological advances,
although the film is obviously dated in many of its details. It's more effective
as a thriller in which tension is derived not only from the deadly threat of
the virus, but from the escalating fear and anxiety among the small group of
people who've been assigned to save the human race. The basic premise is still
captivating; it's easy to see how this became the foundation of Crichton's
science-thriller empire. --Jeff Shannon
Purchase
from Amazon.com New $9.99
A Scientific Method Flow Chart
Discussion:
Chemistry is the branch of science that studies matter and the changes matter
undergoes. Science
can be defined simply as organized knowledge. Scientific knowledge is gathered
systematically by performing thoughtful experiments, carefully recording
observations, and ultimately drawing some conclusions. This procedure is known
as the Scientific
Method and it involves three possibly new vocabulary words:
- Experiment
– collecting data by
observation of chemical changes under controlled conditions.
- Hypothesis – formulating a tentative proposal to correlate
and explain the experimental data.
- Theory
– stating a formal theory or
scientific law after extensive testing of the hypothesis.
A hypothesis is frequently proven invalid although not always
immediately. Historically, chemists and physicists have been slow to abandon an
acceptable theory in order to adopt
a new one. Scientists exercise caution in drawing conclusions, knowing that
nature reveals itself in glimpses and at times appears contradictory. Hypotheses
may be discarded, modified, or on a rare occasion, after rigorous testing, be
elevated to the status of a scientific
law or theory.
Background from
Chapter 1(Bishop, Corwin&
Hein texts):
1. CHM 1025C: On pages 1-3 of the Corwin textbook there are
listed three steps in the scientific method. On Pages 5 & 6 of the Hein
textbook there are four steps listed. On pages 7-9 of the Bishop text, the
author demonstrates in interest cycle
The former
CHM 1025C book, Corwin, has three steps,
similar to above:
Step 1: Performed a planned
experiment, make observations, and record data.
Step 2: Analyze the data and propose
a tentative hypothesis to explain the experimental observations.
Step 3: Conduct additional
experiments to test the hypothesis. If the evidence supports the initial
proposal, the hypothesis may become a theory.
Maybe a little
better graphic of the scientific flow chart shown in Figure 1.3 page 2 would be
the following from a science web site for kids:
2.
Section 1.3 covers the scientific method in the Hill text for CHM 1020.
The Hill text has five
characteristic of science, which are that it is:
a. testable,
b. reproducible,
c. explanatory, and
d. predictive, but always
e. tentative
They have
the following graphic:
Hill: Chemistry
for a Changing Time: The new
version of The andromeda Strain
On Page 4
is the following flow chart
|
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A&E’s
Remake 3 hours and 20 minutes): The Andromeda Strain Miniseries (2008) Starring: Benjamin Bratt, Eric McCormack Director:
Mikael Salomon Rating: |
The Project: The
Your assignment is to watch the original 1971 film partially
during class time, then at home, or at an additional on campus time. Note the
problem which threatened life on earth, and setoff a "wildfire"
protocol. Note how did the scientists approach the "Wildfire" problem
and note all the steps and procedures used in the experimental controls
that help eliminate the various variables from their investigation, then
explain how they went about trying to solve the problem to come up with a
solution. Finally you need to explain the solution, and the chemistry behind it,
which is discussed in Chapter 15 of the Hein text, Chapter 7 of the Hill text and
Chapter 16 in the Corwin text.
However,
if you have already watched this movie and written a similar paper, a more
involved and interesting project would be to write a better pager using one of
the following two options:
Optional/Alternate Paper: The Andromeda Strain Book
|
|
The Andromeda Strain (Paperback)
by Michael Crichton (Author) An option for those who
have watched this movie is to read the book and write a paper comparing the
original book with the original movie. Some folks are always talking how the
book and the movie do not compare, so here’s you chance to compare and editorialize. |
|
Optional/Alternate Paper: The New Andromeda Strain Movie
|
The student will watch this new version and include a page
to compare the old to the new, and how the science of the solution is
different. The student will conclude with her/his editorial comparing the
movies. |
The Andromeda Strain Miniseries (2008) Starring: Benjamin Bratt, Eric McCormack Director:
Mikael Salomon Rating
Product Description |
The
scientific method consists of:
- Observation of an odd, unusual,
interesting event.
- Developing a hypothesis, a
tentative proposal of a scientific principle to explain the observation.
- Developing a plan for making
observations under CONTROLLED conditions, conducting a planned experiment.
- 4. Refining the hypothesis
after analysis of collected experimental data.
- Test refined hypothesis with
additional experimentation or altered experimentation.
- If sufficient evidence is
gathered by repeated experimentation, the hypothesis, if of a measurable
mathematical relationship becomes a natural law. Otherwise itr remains a
hypothesis.
- A theory is proposed to explain
in a broad sense a collection of natural laws and hypothesis. The theory
gives the best explanation at that point for a grouping of natural laws
and hypothesis
Theories
are seldom finished and are generally refined to a higher level of confidence
as new data and better observation tools are developed. As an example the
Greeks developed the first atomic theory and John Dalton refined the theory as
a hypothesis which has continued to be refined into the current state of modern
atomic theory. The scientific method is never a finished process but one that
is continuously improving the explanation of nature’s behavior as methods and
instruments improve.
Movie Film - Andromeda Strain Film
Notes:
Step 1: The Question must be defined:
"You
don't understand a phenomenon which has occurred"
In your two page paper to be handed in during the week at the end of Module 11,
you should define the question in your first or second paragraph. What happened
in the film to setup a major problem?
Film Notes:
Step 2: How did the government/scientists respond to
the question
using the
code word “fire” and "Wildfire" in your third paragraph.
Film Notes:
Step
3: After the team was assembled, they entered a facility to investigate the
problem. Describe
as many controls the facility had to eliminate the variables which would
contaminate the problem solving process. This could be a couple of paragraphs.
Film Notes:
What was
the odd-man hypothesis?
Step 4: Once in the facility, the team met and
decided an approach to solve the problem. They decided on three paths that had to be taken to
define the problem before they could come up with a solution and split the team
in three parts. In your next paragraph(s) describe the three approaches to
defining the problem.
Film Notes:
Step
5: Describe in your next paragraphs what testing the various teams did to
isolate the problem to find the solution.
Film Notes:
Of course this is
Film Notes:
Also, the unit was out of communication with the world outside, because of
another problem. What was that problem?
Early Film Note:
The
President of the
Film Notes:
The President delayed that order for 24-48 hours after the initial event at the
protests of the scientists. What comment could you make about this dilemma and
his delay tactics.
Also there were two survivors of this Wildfire, a crying baby and the town
drunk, while everyone else dies. Were all the others killed instantly and did
this give the scientists another clue to their mystery?
Early Film Note:
Step
6: What hypothesis did they finally conclude?
Film Notes:
Since you
are a chemistry student, please explain the solution which deals with pH and
explains the why two survivors lived. Read sections 15.7 and 15.8 about pH.
Then research body acidosis and alkalosis in the relation to the blood pH. What
is normal for the humans? Where the survivors normal?
Please include a couple of paragraphs explaining these principles of pH as
applied to the body.
Step 7: Your summary, conclusions or comment should
be your final paragraph including the value or no value learned from this
exercise.
Also you
could include in your comments suggestions for better controls or things that
just didn't make sense in their scientific process in the film. I can think of
two or three.
I hope all of you who chose to watch the film enjoy this exercise.
Final Comments/notes