Science or Science-Sounding?
Observe & Measure
Variables & Fair Tests
Data & Graphs
Your Questions
100
A claim uses scientific vocabulary but provides only personal stories as support. Is this scientific or pseudoscientific?
Pseudoscientific
100
“The liquid is cloudy and yellow.”
Is this a qualitative or quantitative observation?
qualitative
100
A student changes the amount of water given to plants. What type of variable is the amount of water?
independent variable
100
Why do scientists create graphs?
To organize data and identify patterns, trends, relationships, or differences. They help "see" the data.
100
Identify one thing about the lab that is practicing good lab safety procedures. Identify one thing about the lab that is not practicing good lab safety procedures.
Lots of correct answers:
One thing that is following safety procedures: the lab has a fire extinguisher, fire blanket & first aid kit.
One thing that is not following safety procedures: Eating & drinking in the lab.
200
Which is probably more reliable: an anonymous online post, a product advertisement, or a government website that cites research?
The government website
200
“The liquid has a volume of 35 mL.”
Is this a qualitative or quantitative observation?
quantitative
200
The student measures each plant’s height after three weeks. What type of variable is plant height?
dependent variable
200
A student changes the ramp height and measures the distance a car travels. Which variable belongs on the x-axis?
Ramp height, the independent variable
200
List 3 metric units of measurement.
length - meter
temperature - Celsius
time - seconds
force - Newtons
mass - gram
volume - Liter
300
Which question is testable:
“Are dogs the best pets?” or
“How does the number of daily training sessions affect how quickly a dog learns a command?”
How does the number of daily training sessions affect how quickly a dog learns a command?
300
A student sees crumbs and an empty wrapper on a desk and concludes that someone ate a snack. Is the conclusion an observation or an inference?
an inference
300
List & describe the three types of variables we talked about in class.
Independent variable - the ONE thing I change at the beginning of the experiment.
Dependent variable - the Data we measure/collect
Control variable - all the things that stay the same in an experiment.
300
A student changes the height they drop a ball from and measures how far the ball bounces. Which variable belongs on the y-axis?
The ball's bounce, the dependent variable
300
How should you use AI properly?
With teacher permission to help understand complicated ideas or check your understanding.
400
This is a detailed, evidence-supported explanation of how or why something happens.
A scientific theory
400
Make an observation using this picture:
Answers may vary. Remember that an observation is something that you notice/data you collect during careful study.
One option: The tree on the left has yellow leaves.
400
When testing a modified paper airplane design, students change the wing width of a paper airplane. Why should they also test the original airplane design?
The original design is a control group to compare results with.
400
Why should a student complete several trials instead of relying on one result?
To improve reliability and reduce the effect of mistakes or unusual results
400
What are three things you should check before trusting a source?
3 of the following: the author, the reason the article was written, the site ending (.gov, .org, .edu) & the date published (or updated).
500
This describes a relationship or pattern that consistently occurs under certain conditions.
A scientific law
500
The accepted (known) mass of an object is 50.0 g. A student measures it as 45.1 g, 45.0 g, and 45.1 g. Describe the results using the terms "accurate" and "precise"
The measurements are precise (they are all recorded to the tenths place), but are not accurate (because they don't equal 50.0 g).
500
A student writes, “If I use warm water, then sugar will dissolve faster because warm water particles move more quickly.” Identify the independent and dependent variables.
Independent: water temperature
Dependent: time or rate of dissolving
500
Describe the overall rainfall pattern shown for both cities. Include one similarity & one difference in your answer.
Rainfall generally decreases in both cities from January to July and then increases from July to December. City 1 receives more rainfall than City 2 throughout the entire year, and its rainfall changes more dramatically.
500
A student was asked the following scientific question: Does fertilizer help plants grow taller?
Here is their CER response (out of order):
Statement 1: Fertilizer provides extra nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus, which plants need to make food and build new cells. Because the fertilized plants received more nutrients, they were able to grow taller than the plants without fertilizer.
Statement 2: Fertilizer helps plants grow taller than plants without fertilizer.
Statement 3: In an experiment, plants with fertilizer grew an average of 12 cm in three weeks, while plants without fertilizer grew an average of only 7 cm.
Identify which statement is claim, evidence, and reasoning.
Statement 1 = reasoning
Statement 2 = claim
Statement 3 = evidence