Repetition vs Replication
A student performs the same experiment five times. What is this called?
Repetition
Which explains how or why something happens: a scientific law or theory?
Theory
What variable do scientists change on purpose?
Independent / Test Variable
Which type of investigation requires the scientist to deliberately change a variable?
Experimental investigation/experiment.
Are food or drinks allowed during a laboratory activity?
No. Eating and drinking are not allowed during a lab activity.
A group follows another group's procedure to see if they get similar results. What is this called?
Repetition
True or false: A scientific theory becomes a law once enough evidence supports it.
False
Students drop a tennis ball from 25 cm, 50 cm, 75 cm, and 100 cm and measure bounce height. Identify the independent and dependent variable.
IV = drop height; DV = bounce height.
Students count how many tables and chairs are in their classroom. Is this descriptive, comparative, or experimental?
Descriptive
What is the first things you should do when you enter science class?
Grab your science notebook and immediately begin the bell work.
A group tests fertilizer on plant growth using 5 plants under the same conditions. Is using multiple plants repetition, replication, or neither? Explain
Repetition
Which describes a pattern or relationship that occurs in nature?
Law
A student changes the ramp height and measures how far a toy car travels. Identify the independent and dependent variables.
Independent: Ramp height
Dependent: Distance traveled
Scientists place identical plants under 4, 8, and 12 hours of light per day and measure growth. Why is this experimental rather than comparative?
Scientists purposely changed/manipulated the amount of light and measured its effect on plant growth.
You accidentally break a glass container. What should you do?
Notify the teacher and do not pick up broken glass with your bare hands.
A student tests how quickly sugar dissolves in water three times using the same procedure. Is this repetition or replication? Explain why.
Repetition, because the same student is performing multiple trials of the same investigation.
Miguel says, “Scientific theories are just guesses, while scientific laws are proven facts.” Is this true or false?
False, scientific theories are not guesses. They are well-supported explanations based on evidence.
A student changes the amount of sunlight a plant receives and measures its growth. Identify the independent, dependent, and control variables.
IV = amount of sunlight; DV = plant growth
CV= Type of Plant
Scientists observe and record bird species in a park. What type of investigation is this?
Descriptive
Your group finishes early and decides to try a different experiment with the leftover materials. Is this allowed? Why or why not?
No. Students may only perform the authorized experiment using the materials and quantities specified by the teacher. No unauthorized experimentation.
Scientist A performs 4 trials and gets similar results. Scientist B follows the same procedure but gets very different results. Where did repetition occur, where did replication occur, and what should the scientists do next?
Scientist A= repetition. Scientist B = replication. They should investigate possible reasons for the different results and conduct additional trials/replications.
Scientists observe that an event in nature happens in a predictable pattern. Would a law or theory be used to describe that pattern? What would be used to explain why it happens?
A theory explains how or why it happens.
Students want to test whether water temperature affects how quickly sugar dissolves. Identify the IV, DV, and two things that should remain constant.
IV = water temperature; DV = dissolving time. Constants could include amount/type of sugar, amount of water, container, stirring method
Scientists measure air quality in two different cities and compare the results. What type of investigation is this?
Comparative
During a lab, your group starts joking around and playing with the lab materials. What safety rule are you breaking?
No horseplay or inappropriate behavior during laboratory activities