$1 Mini-Course

Science Foundations

The core science skills behind the adult-education credential — how science works, fair experiments, lab safety, density, reading data. Taught plainly. Practiced properly.

Get the full course — $1

Course ID: PAW-SCI-001 · PAW Academy · No prerequisites

What you'll learn

Ten sections, each one teaching the concept first, then testing it. Plain language throughout — every technical term defined on first use.

1

What science is

Evidence, testability, and the limits of what science can answer.

2

Observing vs inferring

What you detect with your senses, versus what you conclude from it.

3

Designing fair experiments

Variables, hypotheses, reliability, validity, bias, and sources of error.

4

Research perspectives and ethics

Environmental, health, political, and ethical lenses on real decisions.

5

WHMIS 2015 lab safety

Reading hazard pictograms on lab and household chemical labels.

6

Density

Mass divided by volume — ordering objects by how dense they are.

7

Reading instruments

Graduated cylinders and thermometers, read the right way.

8

Reading tables and graphs

Pulling real conclusions from tables, bar graphs, line graphs, and pie charts.

9

Energy and conductivity

Which materials conduct electricity — and why.

10

Case studies and lab reports

Intended and unintended consequences, and writing up an investigation.

Try it

Three real questions from the course. Try each one, then open the answer to check yourself.

Sample 1 — What science is

A detergent company claims its product is "the best." Which of the following questions is OUTSIDE the limits of scientific inquiry?

  • Which detergent removes the most stain in a controlled wash test?
  • Does hotter water improve stain removal?
  • Which detergent is the most enjoyable to buy?
  • How much detergent is needed per load?
Show answer
Answer: Which detergent is the most enjoyable to buy. "Most enjoyable" is a matter of taste — no experiment can settle it. The other three are all measurable.

Sample 2 — Reading tables and graphs

A speed–time graph shows a car: speed rises steadily for 10 seconds, stays flat for 20 seconds, then falls to zero over 10 seconds. What is the car doing during the flat section?

  • Speeding up.
  • Moving at a constant speed.
  • Slowing down.
  • Stopped.
Show answer
Answer: Moving at a constant speed. On a speed–time graph, a flat line means speed isn't changing. Rising means speeding up; falling means slowing down.

Sample 3 — WHMIS 2015 lab safety

Which TWO WHMIS 2015 pictograms appear on pool chlorine disinfectant? (Choose two.)

  • Oxidizer (flame over circle).
  • Flammable (flame).
  • Corrosion (liquid damaging metal and skin).
  • Biohazard.
Show answer
Answer: Oxidizer and Corrosion. Pool chlorine is an oxidizer (it makes fires burn fiercely) and corrosive (it damages skin and metal). It is not flammable itself, and it is not a biohazard.

What's inside

The full course, yours for a dollar.

34

practice questions across 10 sections

10

plain-language lessons that teach before they test

34

explained answers — every answer says why it's correct

$1

one-time, yours to keep

Ready to learn it properly?

Thirty-four questions. Ten lessons. Every answer explained. One dollar.

Get the full course — $1
PAW Academy · pierceenergy.org/paw-academy