Scientific Method
The 6 steps of the scientific method in order.
What is
1. Testable Question
2. Research
3. Hypothesis
4. Experimentation
5. Data Collection/Analysis
6. Conclusion
The step by step directions for carrying out the experiment
What is procedure?
Describe the arrangement of particles within the 3 states of matter (solid, liquid, gas)
What is particles are closely packed (vibrate) in solids, particles are loosely packed and slide past each other in liquids, and particles have large space between them and move about freely in gases?
Explain the difference between mass and weight.
What you use to record and display your data when looking for relationships among the variables.
What is a data table or graph?
True or False. The following is considered to be a testable question:
How do you throw a ball?
Explain why.
What is
FALSE- this question asks to perform a skill and cannot be answered by an investigation
Factors in the experiment that are kept the same to ensure the experiment is fair and valid.
What are control variables?
States that matter is composed of small units called atoms (building blocks). The theory has changed over many years of study by scientists.
What is the atomic theory?
2 ways that you can find the volume of a object.
What is by multiplying length x width x height for regular objects OR using water displacement for irregular objects?
Describe 2 reasons scientists might use scientific models.
What is to observe something too small or too large for the human eye to see, to explain a complex concept or idea, to represent something in the natural world?
A proper hypothesis follows this format...
What is
If... then... because...
The difference between replication and repetition.
What is:
Replication-when scientists follow the procedures of an existing experiment to get similar results
Repetition-repeating experimental trials to ensure data is valid
Describe how the speed of light waves changes between solids, liquids, and gases
What is light waves move fastest in gases and slowest in solids?
3 examples of good thermal and electrical conductors.
What is any material that is a metal OR water?
Identify the control and experimental groups in the following example:
Dayton noticed that some of the footballs his team used during practice were not fully inflated. He wondered whether fully inflated footballs would travel farther than footballs with a lower air pressure. He collected 20 footballs and fully inflated 10 of them and half inflated the remaining 10 with the same air pressure.
What is the fully inflated footballs (control group) and the half-inflated footballs (experimental group)?
Scientific investigations where the scientist is observing something change over time, rather than manipulating (changing) a variable.
What is systematic observation?
Identify the independent variable in the following example:
Brenda wants to improve her softball playing. She wants to test if the type of bat she uses has an affect on the distance that she is able to hit a softball.
What is the type of bat?
Describe the thermal energy in the 3 states of matter (solid, liquid and gas)
What is very little thermal energy in solids, slight thermal energy in liquids, and a lot of thermal energy in gases?
Describe saturation point.
What is when the solution is no longer able to dissolve the solute so it collects undissolved?
Calculate the density of a concrete cube with one side measuring 2cm and that has a mass of 32g.
What is 4 g/cm3?
The reason for only having one independent variable in an experiment.
What is in order to make sure that your data and results are valid. Changing more than one variable may mislead results.
Explain how to design a valid experiment.
What is to create experiment procedures that help to answer the testable question? OR What is to carefully design/control the variables in an experiment (constant, IV, DV)?
Explain the difference between a theory and a law.
What is:
Theory-a well-supported and widely accepted explanation of nature. Can be modified (changed) but rarely discarded (thrown away). Explains WHY
Law-describes how some part of nature acts under certain conditions. Describes WHAT
DAILY DOUBLE: These are all SIZE-INDEPENDENT physical properties of matter
What is density, conductivity, melting point, boiling point, magnetism, solubility?
What is solid -> melting point -> liquid -> boiling point -> gas