Chapter 1 S3: Modeling
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The document discusses different types of models used in science. It describes physical models, which can be touched, like models of cells or chemical compounds. It describes computer models, which are viewed on screens and can model fast or slow events. It also describes idea models, like Einstein's theory of relativity, which are conceptual rather than physical. Models help visualize things that are too small, large, fast, or slow to directly observe and can test predictions and communicate ideas.
Chapter 1 S3: Modeling
- 2. Chapter: The Nature of Science Table of Contents Section 3: Models in Science Section 1: What is science? Section 2: Science in Action Section 4: Evaluating Scientific Explanation
- 3. Just as you can take many different paths in an investigation, you can test a hypothesis in many different ways. 3 Models in Science Why are models necessary? In science, a model is any representation of an object or an event used as a tool for understanding the natural world.
- 4. Models can help you visualize, or picture in your mind, something that is difficult to see or understand. 3 Models in Science Why are models necessary? Models can be of things that are too small or too big to see.
- 5. They also can be of things that can’t be seen because they don’t exist anymore or they haven’t been created yet. 3 Models in Science Why are models necessary? Models also can show events that occur too slowly or too quickly to see.
- 6. Most models fall into three basic types—physical models, computer models, and idea models. 3 Models in Science Types of Models
- 7. Models that you can see and touch are called physical models. 3 Models in Science Physical Models Examples include things such as a globe of Earth, a replica of the inside of a cell, or a gumdrop-toothpick model of a chemical compound.
- 8. They also can be used to show how things appear when they change position or how they react when an outside force acts on them. 3 Models in Science Physical Models Models show how parts relate to one another.
- 9. Computer models are built using computer software. 3 Models in Science Computer Models You can’t touch them, but you can view them on a computer screen.
- 10. 3 Models in Science Computer Models Some computer models can model events that take a long time or take place too quickly to see.
- 11. Computers also can model motions and positions of things that would take hours or days to calculate by hand or even using a calculator. 3 Models in Science Computer Models They can also predict the effect of different systems or forces.
- 12. Some models are ideas or concepts that describe how someone thinks about something in the natural world. 3 Models in Science Idea Models Albert Einstein is famous for his theory of relativity. One of the most famous models Einstein used for his theory is the mathematical equation E = mc ².
- 13. This explains that mass, m , can be changed into energy, E . 3 Models in Science Idea Models Einstein’s idea models never could be built as physical models, because they are basically ideas.
- 14. The process of making a model is something like a sketch artist at work. 3 Models in Science Making Models Sketch artists attempt to draw a picture from the description given by someone. The more detailed the description is, the better the picture will be.
- 15. Scientific models are made much the same way. 3 Models in Science Making Models The more information a scientist gathers, the more accurate the model will be.
- 16. Not all models are for scientific purposes. 3 Models in Science Using Models You use models, and you might not realize it. Drawings, maps, recipes, and globes are all examples of models.
- 17. Often, it is easier to communicate ideas you have by making a model instead of writing your ideas in words. 3 Models in Science Models Communicate This way others can visualize them, too.
- 18. Some models are used to test predictions. 3 Models in Science Models Test Predictions Automobile and airplane engineers use wind tunnels to test predictions about how air will interact with their products.
- 19. Other models are used because working with and testing a model can be safer and less expensive than using the real thing. 3 Models in Science Models Save Time, Money, and Lives For example, crash-test dummies are used in place of people when testing the effects of automobile crashes.
- 20. The solar system is too large to be viewed all at once, so models are made to understand it. 3 Models in Science Limitations of Models Many years ago, scientists thought that Earth was the center of the universe and the sky was a blanket that covered the planet.
- 21. Later, through observation, it was discovered that the objects you see in the sky are the Sun, the Moon, stars, and other planets. 3 Models in Science Limitations of Models This new model explained the solar system differently. Earth was still the center, but everything else orbited it.
- 22. Still later, through more observation, it was discovered that the Sun is the center of the solar system. 3 Models in Science Models Change In addition, it was discovered that other planets also have moons that orbit them. A new model was developed to show this.
- 23. Earlier models of the solar system were not meant to be misleading. 3 Models in Science Models Change Scientists made the best models they could with the information they had. Models are not necessarily perfect, but they provide a visual tool to learn from.
- 24. 3 Section Check Question 1 A meteorologist creates a program that predicts how a mass of cool air will interact when it hits a mass of warm air over the ocean. This is an example of a _______. A. computer model B. idea model C. physical model D. prototype model NC: 1.06
- 25. 3 Section Check Question 2 A paleontologist finds some scattered bones in the New Mexico desert. Carefully, she begins to reconnect them, filling in the missing spaces with clay. This is an example of _______. A. cell model B. computer model C. idea model D. physical model NC: 1.06
- 26. 3 Section Check Question 3 Physicists use a simple equation that describes the relationship between force, mass, and acceleration: f=ma . This equation itself is an example of a _______. A. computer model B. equation model C. idea model D. physical model NC: 1.06
- 27. 3 Section Check Answer The answer is A. The meteorologist has used a computer to predict what the weather will be like. NC: 1.06
- 28. 3 Section Check Answer The correct answer is D. The paleontologist is creating a model that you can feel and touch. When she is finished, the model will give her a better idea of what the animal looked like and how it behaved. NC: 1.06
- 29. 3 Section Check Answer The answer is C. While f=ma isn’t an object in space or an image on a computer screen, it still is a kind of model that helps us understand the world. f=ma NC: 1.06
- 30. Mini-LAB: Thinking Like a Scientist 3
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