Basic science: understanding numbers

This practical, hands-on free course will help you to start thinking like a scientist, by using numbers to describe and understand the natural world.It might be the size of the Greenland ice sheet, the number of molecules in a raindrop, or the latest set of mind-boggling numbers about climate change presented in the media.No longer will you be put off by averages or percentages, and you'll even learn to love negative numbers. You will understand and manage numbers like a scientist. The course will introduce all the main skills you'll need to understand and communicate scientific numbers, relate them to the real world, and share your discoveries with other learners.RequirementsThis course is intended for anyone with an interest in numbers and making scientific observations. It does not require mathematical skills or any previous experience of studying the subject.There are no special requirements for this course but you may like to find a simple calculator in a drawer or on your mobile phone to help you with some of the maths calculations.This OpenLearn science course is produced with the kind support of Dangoor Education, the educational arm of The Exilarch's Foundation.

• Week1Week 1: Why does science need numbers?
• Introduction
• 1.1 Water, water everywhere
• 1.2 Reflecting on numbers
• 1.3 We’re all scientists now
• 1.4 How do numbers help test scientific hypotheses?
• 1.5 Is homeopathy science?
• 1.6 SI units
• 1.7 Scientific notation
• 1.8 Big things, big numbers
• 1.9 Small things, small numbers
• 1.10 Week 1 quiz
• 1.11 Week 1 summary
• References
• Acknowledgements
• Week2Week 2: Using numbers for science
• Introduction
• 2.1 Calculators through the ages
• 2.2 Calculating areas
• 2.2.1 Area of the Greenland ice sheet
• 2.3 Calculating volumes
• 2.3.1 Volume of the Greenland ice sheet
• 2.4 Density of water
• 2.4.1 Density of the Greenland ice sheet
• Why the Greenland ice sheet matters to us
• 2.6 Week 2 quiz
• 2.7 Week 2 summary
• Acknowledgements
• Week3Week 3: Learning to ‘talk the talk’
• Introduction
• 3.1 Absolute numbers don’t tell you everything
• 3.2 Rounding
• 3.2.1 Rounding to decimal places
• 3.3 Can you eat sig figs?
• 3.4 Fractions and Percentages
• 3.5 Negative numbers
• 3.6 Week 3 quiz
• 3.7 Week 3 summary
• Acknowledgements
• Week4Week 4: Presenting numbers
• Introduction
• 4.1 How do people ‘get’ science numbers?
• 4.1.1 Using graphs
• 4.2 Averages
• 4.2.1 Types of average
• 4.2.2 Using averages
• 4.3 Types of graph and drawing graphs
• 4.3.1 Interpreting graphs
• 4.4 Correlation, causation and coincidence
• 4.5 Create and share your own graph
• 4.6 End-of-course quiz
• 4.7 Congratulations – you’re a scientist!
• Acknowledgements