Scientific Method
What is the first step in the scientific method?
What is asking a question or identifying a problem?
What instrument is used to measure mass?
What is a balance?
What usually goes on the x-axis of a graph?
What is the independent variable?
What is the instrument used to measure body temperature?
What is a clinical thermometer?
What are the two types of electric charge?
What are positive and negative?
A variable that is changed by the scientist in an experiment is called what?
What is the independent variable?
What is the SI unit of length?
What is the metre?
A straight-line graph that goes through the origin shows what kind of relationship?
What is a directly proportional relationship?
What three factors affect the amount of linear expansion in a solid?
What are the original length, the type of material (coefficient of expansion), and the temperature change?
Like charges ____, opposite charges ____.
What is repel; attract?
What is a testable prediction that guides an experiment called?
What is a hypothesis?
Convert 250 micrograms to grams.
What is 0.00025 grams?
What does the gradient of a graph represent?
What is the relationship between the x- and y-variables; how the y-variable changes with respect to the x-variable
Name one everyday example of thermal expansion.
What is gaps in railway tracks or bimetallic strips in thermostats?
What is the name of the instrument used to detect static charge?
What is a gold-leaf electroscope?
Why is it important to repeat experiments?
What is to ensure reliability and accuracy of results?
Name one method to reduce parallax error in measurement.
What is viewing the scale at eye level?
A graph has a negative slope. What does this indicate?
What is a decreasing relationship or inverse trend?
Define specific heat capacity.
The amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kg of a substance by 1°C (or 1 K).
How does an object become negatively charged?
By gaining electrons.
Explain the difference between a control group and a control variable.
A control group is the standard for comparison in an experiment, while control variables are factors kept constant.
A metre rule measures to the nearest mm. What is its precision and uncertainty?
Precision: 1 mm (0.1 cm); Uncertainty: ±0.5 mm (±0.05 cm)
In a cooling curve, what does a flat horizontal section indicate?
What is a phase change where temperature remains constant.
Explain why bridges have expansion joints.
To allow for expansion and contraction due to temperature changes and prevent structural damage.
Explain how lightning is related to electrostatics.
Lightning is a large discharge of static electricity between clouds and the ground due to charge buildup.