Variables
List the three types of variables in a scientific experiment.
What are... independent, dependent, and control?
Maria conducts an experiment to test how salt affects the boiling point of water. She repeats the experiment three times using the same materials and procedure.
What is repetition
What is the first step of the scientific method?
What is make an observation?
During a chemical reaction, a student notes that the liquid turns from blue to green.
What is a qualitative
A student spends a week watching squirrels in a park and records their behavior without interfering.
Question: What type of investigation is this?
What is a Field Study
The variable that you are testing.
What is an independent variable?
A science class in Texas reads about an experiment done in Florida on plant growth under colored lights. They decide to follow the same procedure to see if they get similar results.
What is replication
List the 5 types of observations.
What is...
-taste
-smell
-touch
-sight
-hear?
A student records the temperature of a beaker every minute for 10 minutes.
What is quantitative
n a lab, students test how different amounts of fertilizer affect plant growth, keeping all other variables the same.
Question: What type of investigation is this?
What is a controlled experiment
The variable that you observe or measure during an experiment.
What is a dependent variable?
Jamal performs an experiment on paper towel absorbency and repeats it five times to ensure accuracy. His friend, Ava, performs the same experiment using Jamal’s procedure.
What is repetition
Good scientific questions need to be...
What is testable?
While observing a plant, a student writes down that the leaves are “droopy” and also measures their length in centimeter
What is qualitative
Scenario: A scientist uses a computer simulation to predict how hurricanes will move based on wind patterns.
Question: What type of scientific method is being used?
What is a model
Something that stays the same to keep an experiment fair.
What is a control variable?
A student repeats their own experiment multiple times to reduce error. Another student uses the same experiment design but different materials.
What is...repetition and replication
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What is it called in the scientific method when you make a prediction about the outcome of the experiment?
What is a hypothesis?
A student creates a graph showing the number of seeds sprouted over time.
What is quantitative
Students collect soil samples from five different locations to compare pH levels.
Question: Is this a field study or a controlled experiment?
What is a Field Study
Define the word variable.
What is things that can effect/trigger the outcome of the experiment?
A science fair judge asks a student how many times they repeated their experiment and whether anyone else has tried it.
Question: Why might the judge be interested in both repetition and replication?
What is see if their results are valid
For 500 points, list the 6 steps of the scientific method!
Hint: you already know what the first one is!
What are...
1. Make an observation
2. Ask a testable question
3. Create a hypothesis
4. Experiment
5. Results (Data)
6. Conclusion?
A student describes the smell of a substance as “sharp and sour,” then rates it on a scale from 1 to 10.
Question: How does this turn qualitative data into quantitative?
What is the students went from describing the taste to ranking on a scale.
Scenario: A student watches mold grow on bread over several days without changing any conditions or variables.
Question: Is this an observation, a controlled experiment, or something else?
What is an Observation