Identify how science is a part of your everyday life.Describe what skills and tools are used in science. Vocabulary sciencetheorytechnology What and how you learn in science class can be applied to other areas of your life. Science in Society When you hear the word science, do you think only of your science class, your teacher, and certain terms and facts? Is there any connection between what happens in science class and the rest of your life? You might have problems to solve or questions that need answers, as illustrated in Figure 1. Science is a way or a process used to investigate what is happening around you. It can provide possible answers. Figure 1 You use scientific thinking every day to make decisions.Science Is Not New Throughout history, people have tried to find answers to questions about what was happening around them. Early scientists tried to explain things based on their observations. They used their senses of sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing to make these observations. From the Explore Activity, you know that using only your senses can be misleading. What is cold or hot? How heavy is heavy? How much is a little? How close is nearby? Numbers can be used to describe observations. Tools, such as thermometers and metersticks, are used to give numbers to descriptions. Scientists observe, investigate, and experiment to find answers, and so can you.
