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  • General

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  • 科学方法

    Scientists examining samples in glass jars within a laboratory setting.

    What do you think the scientists in this picture are studying ? In science fiction, scientists may be portrayed as singular geniuses who do all of the work themselves,  but that portrayal couldn’t be farther from the truth. Real scientists are disciplined professionals who collaborate with each other, and scientific investigations are very organized and methodical.
    ::你认为这张照片中的科学家们在研究什么? 在科幻小说中,科学家们可能被描绘成独一的天才,他们自己做所有的工作,但这种描述离事实再远不过。 真正的科学家们是纪律严明的专业人士,彼此合作,科学调查是组织严密、有条理的。

    Investigations in Science
    ::科学调查调查

    Investigations are at the heart of science. They are how scientists add to scientific knowledge and gain a better understanding of the world. Scientific investigations produce evidence that helps answer questions. Even if the evidence cannot provide answers, it may still be useful. It may lead to new questions for investigation. As more knowledge is discovered, science advances.  
    ::调查是科学的核心。它们是科学家如何增加科学知识和更好地了解世界。科学调查提供了有助于回答问题的证据。即使证据不能提供答案,它也可能仍然有用。它可能导致新的调查问题。随着更多知识的发现,科学的进步也随之而来。

    Steps of a Scientific Investigation
    ::科学调查的步骤

    Scientists investigate the world in many ways. In different fields of science, researchers may use different methods and be guided by different theories and questions. However, most scientists follow the general steps outlined in the Figure . This approach is sometimes called the scientific method. Keep in mind that the scientific method is a general approach and not a strict sequence of steps. For example, scientists may follow the steps in a different order. Or they may skip or repeat some of the steps.
    ::科学家以多种方式调查世界。 在不同的科学领域,研究人员可以使用不同的方法,并接受不同的理论和问题的指导。 但是,大多数科学家都遵循图中概述的一般步骤。 这种方法有时被称为科学方法。 牢记科学方法是一种一般方法,而不是严格的步骤顺序。 例如,科学家可以按照不同的顺序遵循步骤。 或者他们可以跳过或者重复一些步骤。

    Flowchart illustrating the steps of the scientific method: observations, questions, research, hypothesis, testing, conclusions, communication.
    The general steps followed in the scientific method.

    Using the Scientific Method: a Simple Example
    ::使用科学方法:简单示例

    A simple example will help you understand how the scientific method works. While Cody eats a bowl of cereal ( Figure ), he reads the ingredients list on the cereal box. He notices that the cereal contains iron. Cody is studying magnets in school and knows that magnets attract objects that contain iron. He wonders whether there is enough iron in a flake of the cereal for it to be attracted by a strong . He thinks that the iron content is probably too low for this to happen, even if he uses a strong magnet.
    ::一个简单的例子可以帮助您了解科学方法是如何运作的。 Cody吃一碗麦片(图 ) , 他读了麦片盒中的成分列表。 他注意到麦片中含有铁。 Cody正在研究学校中的磁铁,并且知道磁铁吸引了含有铁的物体。 他想知道谷片片中是否有足够的铁来吸引强者。 他认为铁含量可能太低,即使他使用强磁铁,也不可能发生这种情况。

    A person holds a bowl of cereal with a box in the background.
    Cody makes an observation that raises a question. Curiosity about observations is how most scientific investigations begin.

    Q: If Cody were doing a scientific investigation, what would be his question and ?
    ::问:如果科迪在做科学调查, 他的问题是什么?

    A: Cody’s question would be, “Is there enough iron in a flake of cereal for it to be attracted by a strong magnet?” His hypothesis would be, “The iron content of a flake of cereal is too low for it to be attracted by a strong magnet.”
    ::科迪的回答是 : “ 谷片中的铁是否足够被磁铁吸引? ”他的假设是 : “ 谷片中的铁含量太低,无法被强大磁铁吸引。 ”

    Cody decides to do an to test his hypothesis. He gets a strong magnet from his mom’s toolbox and places a dry flake of cereal on the table. Then he slowly moves the magnet closer to the flake. To his surprise, when the magnet gets very close to the flake, the flake moves the rest of the way to the magnet.
    ::科迪决定做一个假设测试。他从他母亲的工具箱中得到了强大的磁铁,并在桌子上放置了一块干片谷物。 然后他慢慢地将磁铁移到片子上。 令人惊讶的是,当磁铁非常接近片子时,磁铁将其余部分移到磁铁上。

    Q: Based on this evidence, what should Cody conclude?
    ::问:根据这些证据,科迪应该得出什么结论?

    A: Cody should conclude that his hypothesis is incorrect. There is enough iron in a flake of cereal for it to be attracted by a strong magnet.
    ::A:Cody应该得出结论,他的假设是不对的。麦片片中有足够的铁可以吸引强大的磁铁。

    Q: If Cody were a scientist doing an actual scientific investigation, what should he do next?
    ::问:如果科迪是一个科学家 做实际的科学调查, 他下一步该怎么办?

    A: He should report his results to other scientists.
    ::A:他应向其他科学家报告其结果。

    Summary
    ::摘要

    • Investigations are at the heart of science. They produce evidence that helps scientists answer questions and better understand the world.
      ::调查是科学的核心。它们提供证据,帮助科学家回答问题,更好地了解世界。
    • Most scientists follow the same general approach to investigation, which is called the scientific method. It includes the following steps: ask a question, do background research, construct a hypothesis, test the hypothesis by doing an experiment, analyze the data and draw a conclusion, and report the results.
      ::大多数科学家都采用同样的一般调查方法,即科学方法。它包括以下步骤:提出问题,进行背景研究,建立假设,通过实验测试假设,分析数据并得出结论,以及报告结果。

    Review
    ::回顾

    1. What is the role of investigation in science?
      ::调查在科学中的作用是什么?
    2. List the steps of the scientific method.
      ::列出科学方法的步骤。
    3. Assume that Cody used a weak magnet and the flake of cereal was not attracted to it. What conclusion might he have drawn then?
      ::假设Cody使用了微弱的磁铁 谷类片片没有被它吸引

    Resources
    ::资源