Patterns
Whether it's stripes, plaids, or dancing pineapples, a pattern is something that repeats in a predictable way. However, scientists are less concerned with the fashion aspect of patterns than they are with stuff repeating in nature.
Yep, that's right. Nature has its own patterns. Gravity is a pattern, predators and prey are patterns, even chemicals react in patterns. The cool thing about these patterns is that we can use them to predict stuff. For example, a scientist can use what they know about patterns in predator and prey relationships between wolves and moose to hypothesize, which is really just a fancy word for predict, what will happen if the wolf population increases.
When scientists are doing science, they're always looking for patterns. First of all, these patterns tell us we're on the right track. If something weird happens once, well, it could just be a strange one-off mistake. But if it repeats over and over again, that weirdness would be a pattern. This is why you'll find scientists doing their experiments multiple times. Well, and because experimenting is fun, but they're really on the hunt for patterns in their data. The more data they have, the easier is to find those patterns, so it's super important for them to perform multiple trials, gather tons of data, and have huge sample sizes. Now, what causes these patterns is a different question that leads to, you guessed it, another experiment.
Secondly, patterns help scientists understand the natural world better. They help scientists organize and classify stuff. If you've ever tried to make a family tree of every species that has ever lived on Earth (like you do), then you know how important patterns in anatomy, DNA, and development are. If you've ever tried to keep all one hundred eighteen elements from running amuck, you know how important patterns in valence shells, reactivity, and states of matter are. And if you want to make sure that an asteroid cruising through space isn't going to invade Earth's personal space, you know how important patterns in orbital paths are.
Lastly, there are also patterns in data. This is why scientists love graphs so much. Aside from the fact that they're pretty, graphs help those patterns stick out like florals on stripes. Patterns in data can tell us about where earthquakes tend to occur, how many bugs a bird eats in a day, or at what temperature the tires on a car will melt. All pretty useful information if you ask us.
Patterns are everywhere in science, and they're super useful in helping us understand what's going on out there. So, keep that in mind as you're getting dressed—and don't be afraid to throw some polka dots in the mix.