Vocabulary
The factor a scientist observes or measures during an experiment.
Dependent variable
Using your senses to gather information
Observe
What is the purpose of a scientific investigation?
Answer questions about the natural world
Testable or not testable? What is the effect of using fertilizer on the growth of a plant?
Testable
Jane is investigating to find out if bean plants grow taller in ordinary topsoil or special potting soil over a three week period. She sets up her investigation with 10 bean plants of equal size in each type of soil. What should Jane do each day to make sure she gets valid results?
A. Water only the plants in special potting soil.
B. Calculate the average plant height for each soil type.
C. Move the plants in ordinary topsoil to different locations.
D. Estimate the height of each plant's stem and record the estimate.
B
Observations using a scientific tool and recorded as numbers
Quantitative
Using a science tool to gather number information
Measure
An educated guess that can be the answer to a question a scientist may have
Hypothesis
Testable or not testable? What color is prettier?
Not testable
Thomas and Julie wanted to find out which material would insulate their teacher's coffee cup and keep the coffee hot for the longest period of time. They first wrapped her cup with bubble wrap and recorded the temperature of the coffee once every 15 minutes for 2 hours. They repeated the investigation, this time using newspaper instead of bubble wrap, but they got the same results for both materials.
What could they do to make sure their results are valid?
a. Repeat their experiment.
b. Use tea instead of coffee.
c. Use a different thermometer.
d. Conduct their investigation in a colder room
Observations using your 5 senses
Qualitative
Group items into categories based on similar characteristics
Classify
Collecting information using tools or the 5 senses
Gather data
All conclusions must be based on ____
Evidence
Jordan wants to find out if a hamster can learn a maze as quickly as a mouse can. She has researched mice and hamsters and predicts which rodent she thinks will learn more quickly. What should her next step be?
a. analyze hamster behavior in the maze
b. research how a rabbit would behave in a maze
c. observe the behavior of both rodents in the maze
d. make conclusions about rodent behavior in the maze
C
To come up with an explanation that can be tested by an experiment
Hypothesize
Using the information gathered to generate an explanation
infer
What are the 3 types of scientific investigations?
Experiments, models, and repeated observations
Why do scientists repeat each others' experiments?
To validate the results
During a recent drought, Sonya noticed some yards in her neighborhood were healthy and green, and some were mostly brown and dead. Sonya believes the difference has to do with how often her neighbors mow their grass. What should Sonya do first to find out if she is right?
a. Ask her neighbors to cut their grass on the same schedule.
b. Study other neighborhoods to see if there are similar problems.
c. Compare the neighbors' lawn mowers to see if there are similarities.
d. Survey her neighbors about their mowing schedule and record the details.
D
The factors in an experiment that remain the same
Constant
When scientists share information writing articles, posting results in scientific journals, creating displays, etc.
Communicate
The last step of the scientific method
Draw conclusions
Why do scientists repeat their experiment at least 3 times?
To rule out mistakes
Jonathan and Sarah have performed an experiment and are not sure their results are valid. What should they do to check their results?
a. average their data
b. change their lab report
c. perform a new experiment
d. repeat the same experiment
D