Scientific Investigation
Before you can form a hypothesis or collect any data, you must complete this first step in the scientific method.
What is ask a question?
When creating a graph, you should place the independent variable along this axis.
What is the X-axis (or horizontal axis)?
This acronym helps us remember the six major threats that cause species to become endangered or extinct.
What is HIPPCO?
Wind, solar, and geothermal energy are examples of this type of resource that can be naturally replenished over time.
What are renewable resources?
You should wear these to protect your eyes from chemical splashes during laboratory investigations.
What are safety goggles?
"If I water my plants daily, then they will grow faster than plants watered weekly" is an example of this type of scientific statement.
What is a hypothesis?
The variable you measure in an experiment should be graphed on this axis.
What is the Y-axis (or vertical axis)?
When a highway cuts through a forest and divides it into smaller, isolated sections, this HIPPCO threat has occurred.
What is habitat fragmentation (or H)?
Coal, oil, and uranium are examples of this type of resource that exists in limited quantities and takes millions of years to form.
What are nonrenewable resources?
This is the FIRST thing you should do if a chemical spills on your skin during a lab.
What is rinse the affected area with water immediately (or use the safety shower)?
In an experiment testing how fertilizer affects plant height, the amount of fertilizer is this type of variable.
What is the independent variable?
These factors in an experiment must stay exactly the same for all groups to ensure you're testing only one variable at a time.
What are constants?
Feral hogs in Texas, kudzu vines in the South, and zebra mussels in the Great Lakes are all examples of this HIPPCO threat.
What are invasive species (or I)?
Even though trees are renewable, timber can become this if forests are cut down faster than they can naturally regrow.
What is nonrenewable (or unsustainable)?
This piece of safety equipment is used to rinse chemicals from your eyes for at least 15 minutes.
What is an eye wash station?
In the same fertilizer experiment, plant height would be this type of variable because it's what you observe and measure.
What is the dependent variable?
If you're graphing how a deer population changes from 2018 to 2024, the years would be placed on this axis.
What is the X-axis?
Invasive species are successful in new environments because they have this characteristic—they can survive in many different conditions rather than needing specific habitats.
What are generalists (or adaptable species)?
In Dr. Seuss's environmental tale, the Once-ler harvested all of these trees to make Thneeds, showing what happens with unsustainable resource use.
What are Truffula Trees?
You should NEVER do this with an unknown substance in the lab, even if you're trying to identify it.
What is taste it (or smell it directly/eat it)?
In a controlled experiment, this group receives no treatment and helps scientists determine if the independent variable caused the observed changes.
What is the control group?
After collecting data, scientists organize it into tables and graphs to look for these patterns or relationships between variables.
What are trends (or patterns/correlations)?
Invasive species harm native species primarily by doing this for limited resources like food, water, and living space.
What is competing (or outcompeting)?
Using reusable water bottles, riding your bike instead of driving, and turning off lights are all ways to reduce this measure of your environmental impact.
What is your ecological footprint?
This piece of safety equipment is used to smother flames on a person's clothing during a fire emergency.
What is a fire blanket?