Observations
What are the two types of observations?
Qualitative and Quantitative
In an experiment what are the variables that are not being studied that are held constant so that they do not influence the experimental outcome called?
controlled variables
step of scientific inquiry where you test your hypothesis
Experiment
which is the axis on the side and which goes on the bottom
y-axis on the side
x-axis on the bottom
When points are all close to the target
accuracy
Something you observe, involving your five senses
qualitative observation
What is the point of a control group?
Something to compare to
An educated guess or prediction for what might happen in an experiment.
hypothesis
When you are using categorical data, comparing things in multiple groups
bar graph
When measurements are all consistent and close together
Precision
An observation involving measurement (numbers)
quantitative observation
The variable that you make different in order to test it.
the independent variable
This step answers the original question.
conclusion
A scientist collected data measuring the temperature of his house throughout the day. What type of graph should he make?
a line graph
an IF...THEN statement
An explanation of an observation based on your past experiences and knowledge.
An inference
The variable that you observe or measure during an experiment
the dependent variable
What step in the scientific method do you make careful observations and write down what happens. It occurs after experiment phase?
Collect and Interpret Data
What type of graph should you use when comparing parts to a whole?
a pie chart
The step of the scientific method where you make graphs, look for patterns, and think about what happened.
ANALYSIS
What is the difference between objective and subjective observations?
Objective observations are descriptions of what is observed stating the facts and details with as little interpretation as possible.
Subjective observations are observations that are influenced by past events, opinions, background or personal experience often biased information.
Chad liked to hike, but he was often bothered by mosquito bites. He read that rubbing lavender flowers on your skin can repel mosquitoes. Chad wanted to find out if lavender flowers work better as a mosquito repellent than store-bought bug spray. So, he sprayed bug spray on one of his arms and rubbed lavender flowers on his other arm. Then, he went for a hike.
When he got home, he counted the number of new mosquito bites on each arm. Chad repeated this test each afternoon for one week.
Identify the independent and dependent variables.
Independent: type of mosquito repellent used
Dependent: Number of mosquito bites
List all the steps of the scientific method.
What is Observation, Question(problem/purpose), Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Collect and Interpret Data, Analyze Results, Share Results.
Which variable goes on each of the axes?
X axis: independent variable
Y axis: dependent variable
Scientific laws are summaries or statements that describe a wide range of observations and results of experiments. Scientific theories, on the other hand, are explanations for observations and results. So, laws describe what happens and theories explain why things happen.