Scientific Method
Fill in the blank: The scientific method is a term used to describe the way in which scientists __________________________.
Explain the relationship between supply and demand.
Supply= the amount of a resource available.
Demand= the number of people that are willing to purchase or use that resource.
Data is divided into these two categories...
Qualitative and quantitative
When a shared (common) resource is unregulated, individuals will consume it at a selfish rate.
Why are line graphs important in science?
Showing specific values of data
Showing trends and relationships in data clearly
Visibly depict how one variable is affected by the other as it increases or decreases.
What are the 7 steps of the scientific method?
Make an observation
Ask a question
Form a hypothesis
Conduct an experiment
Analyze the data
Draw a conclusion
Share your results with others
What are the two types of environmental policies discussed in class?
Regulations and incentives
Quantitative data generally consists of...
Numbers
Nations that have the largest ecological footprints tend to...
Use the most fossil fuels.
Fill in the blank: The independent variable goes on the ______ axis.
"X" axis - horizontal axis
What is a hypothesis?
A hypothesis is a testable explanation for a question or problem.
What is the purpose of environmental policy?
The purpose is to make rules and regulate human activity on the environment.
How can a scientist be more confident in their results?
By repeating the experiment, we can be more confident of our results.
What is the most common example of the tragedy of the commons?
Coffee consumption
A student wanted to observe how changing the temperature of the aquarium water would affect the breathing rate of his goldfish.
What is the dependent variable?
Breathing rate of goldfish
What is the difference between deductive and inductive reasoning?
Deductive goes from general to specific; Inductive goes from specific to general.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Tax Credit, a financial _______ that reduces the cost of buying an EV
Incentive
The flower is red is an example of...
Qualitative research
What does sustainability mean?
Avoiding the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain ecological balance.
A student wanted to determine how tall corn would grow if different types of fertilizer were used.
What is the independent variable?
Different types of fertilizer
You learned in elementary school that all birds have feathers. You see an animal you’ve never seen before and it has feathers, so you assume it must be a bird. This is an example of…
Inductive reasoning
Give an example of an environmental supply that is scarce.
Fresh water, minerals, coal, oil, animals, topsoil
How do scientists organize their data?
Data can be organized into charts, graphs, or tables.
Which of the following IS NOT directly included in a country’s ecological footprint?
a. grazing
b. forests
c. sporting arenas
d. carbon
C. Sporting arenas
After observing a set of data, how would you find the appropriate scale to graph your data?
Take the largest number in your data set and divide it by the number of units on your graph.