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A friend says, "The pond will dry up early this year."

How would you check that? This chapter shows how scientists think.

This is Chapter 1 of your Class 9 book, Exploration. Its name is Exploration: Entering the World of Secondary Science.

What you will learn

• A question worth asking — a prediction needs a question you can test.
• What a measurement carries — a number needs a unit.
• How close is close enough — a rough estimate can check an answer.
• A model is a tool — it keeps only the details that matter.
• One idea, many records — laws, theories and principles.
• The honest report — predictions can fail, and that helps science.
• Three strands, one method — the branches of science link up.

Quick catch-up

These help, though none is required.

• A guess you can test — it can turn out wrong.
• One agreed length — a unit means the same to everyone.
• A model that works — keep it while it explains.

One rule before this chapter

Every lab here is made up. No lab asks you to heat, mix or measure your own body.