Biol 1100 Survey of Biology
Dr. Hattie Dambroski
Spring 2024
Lab #1: Investigating the Perfect Cup of Coffee
15 points
Learning Outcomes
1. Gain a working understanding of hypothesis formulation and testing.
2. Think about the design of scientific experiments. How do you design repeatable and experiments that clearly
test your hypotheses?
3. Create graphical representations of data.
4. Transmitting results to others in concise and specific terms.
Textbook
Read Chapter 1 in your textbook, for the best understanding and results.
Introduction
Biology is a science. Science is often misunderstood and mystified, however, it is merely a systematic way of
learning from one's own observations. The authority in science is the real world, not a textbook, professor, or
mystical Scientist. If your observations disagree with the textbook, then the text should be questioned. As such,
science is a dynamic field that is constantly questioning and challenging what we know. Often, what we know in
science is limited by technology, before the advent of the microscope not much was known about cells.
To learn by science, you must ask the right questions. Science can only study the natural world and assumes
that phenomena in nature have physical and tangible causes. As such, the existence of God is not testable by
scientific inquiry. However, you can ask the question, "Can lightning be explained as resulting from natural
forces?" (Rather than act of Thor, Zeus, etc.) You can ask the subsequent follow-up question, "Can lightning ever
be seen in the absence of the natural forces which have been shown to produce it?" After a sufficient chain of
questions, you can draw the inference that lightning is better explained as a natural weather phenomenon than as
an act of divinity.
Many science courses begin by asking students to memorize the steps of the scientific method. However, most
scientists would agree that there is no single method of solving scientific problems. One of the most popular
models of the scientific method includes the following steps:
1. Observation
2. Statement of the Problem/Question to be addressed
3. Formulation of hypothesis and prediction
4. Experimentation/ collection of data
5. Interpretation of data
6. Drawing conclusion
Although a scientist might not always follow these steps in sequence or may leave out or add some steps, a
scientific report of the investigation is usually presented in a manner similar to the above logical procedure. One
of the most important aspects of the scientific method comes after steps 1-6, where research is presented (usually
as an article) to other scientists for their review and scrutiny. The independent peer-review process is critical to
the scientific method as it holds scientists accountable. Additionally, science is not a static field, but a dynamic
and innovative field that is continually changing as we learn more and develop new technologies to study our
natural world.
Scientific studies often start with observations, but they are also important during the data collection phase of an
experiment. Observations are made with the senses. Sight is the major sense used in making observations, but
sounds, touch, smell, and even sometimes taste play significant roles. Scientists often use instrumentation to refine
their perceptions: thermometers, measuring devices for weight and distance, pH meters, light meters, and
microscopes are just a few that are commonly used by biologists.
