Dr. Edwin Wong

1. Cain Textbook reading: 1.1 - 1.2
2. External readings: "Scientific Method"; "Identify the Controls & Variables"
3. Using your readings, define: science, scientific method, theory, observation, hypothesis, prediction, experiment, independent variable, dependent variable, control group, experimental group
4. Illustrate the steps of the Scientific Method by showing how you would use it to solve a household problem or determine which product to purchase. Here are some scenarios:
   • why did the dishes come out of the dishwasher still dirty?
   • which car should I purchase for my hour-long commute in this time of high gas prices?
5. What are some limitations to science or the scientific method (i.e. what can it not be used for?)
6. Work through the problems in the external reading, "Identify the Controls & Variables", so you know how to identify controls, and independent and dependent variables, in an experiment (knowing these will come in handy in lab).
7. Read Cain 1.2. Describe the seven shared characteristics of biological life.
8. Textbook Questions
• Review & Application of Key Concepts 1, 2