Predictions Chapter 3: Patterns and Predictions

Chapter Challenge
In a scenario that again involves the difference between the nature of science and pseudoscience, students are given a list of proposals presented to a funding agency. They are challenged to evaluate the scientific merit of each proposal, determining if the topic area in the proposal can be tested by experiments and the extent to which it reflects the role and importance of science in the world.

Chapter Summary
To develop understanding of the science principles of inquiry necessary to meet this challenge, students work collaboratively on activities in which they learn to make predictions. These experiences engage students in the content identified in the National Science Education Standards.

Activity Summaries

Physics Principles

Activity One: Force Fields

Observing, then measuring the properties of magnets introduces the study of force fields and helps students appreciate the dilemmas that can occur when describing something that is invisible.

• Magnetic fields

Activity Two: Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation

In an activity in which they place a photocell on the light generated by a slide projector, students measure light intensity at various distances to uncover the inverse square law. They then apply this to Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation.

• Light intensity
• Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
• Inverse square relationship

Activity Three: A Modern Model of the Solar System

Using a heliocentric model of the solar system, students relate the motion of planets and their moons to gravity. The use of this model is used to highlight criteria used by scientists in developing models and theories that explain phenomena.

• Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
• Scientific modeling

Activity Four: Science and Pseudoscience

Analyzing horoscopes provides the stimuli for students to engage in conversation and comparisons between scientific predictions and pseudoscience.

• Scientific modeling
• Predictions based on data
• Nature of science

Activity Five: Slinkies and Waves

In this activity, students explore wave motion with people waves then with slinkies. Students then read to learn more about wavelength, frequency, amplitude, crests, and troughs. This experience is used as a model to explain the flow of energy.

• Energy transfer
• Wave motion and periods
• Wavelengths and amplitude

Activity Six: Interference of Waves

Using slinkies to model wave motion, students explore and observe the phenomena of wave interference. They expand their understanding of waves by comparing this experiment to sine waves generated on graphing calculators, circular waves in a ripple tank, laser light beams, and sound waves from identical speakers.

• Wave motion
• Energy transfer
• Wave interference

Activity Seven: A Moving Frame of Reference

This activity introduces the concept of frames of reference by having students describe and compare observations of the same event made while standing still and while moving. They then read to learn more about how the laws of physics relate to these different descriptions of the same event.

• Frames of reference
• Speed

Activity Eight: Measuring Speeds in Moving Frames of Reference

Students conduct an experiment in which they measure the speed of a car moving along a stationary board. They then measure the relative speeds when both the car and the board move. Comparing measures and observations enables students to better understand frames of reference and introduces the concept of relativity.

• Frames of reference
• Speed
• Relativity

Activity Nine: Speedy Light

In this activity, students explore the speed of light as related to the concept of relativity by considering how to know for certain whether two clocks, large distances apart, display exactly the same time. Reading more about Einstein's theories enables them to apply these concepts to the chapter challenge.

• Simultaneous events
• Speed of light
• Relativity
• Frames of reference

Activity Ten: Special Relativity

Simultaneous events and relativity set the stage for this final chapter activity in which students learn about muons. Muons, and Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity focus students on the need to consider the need for evidence from experiments to support the development of scientific theories.

• Special Relativity
• Muons
• Half-life