Science Fair Basics
What is the first step of the Scientific Method?
Ask a question
What is a hypothesis?
A smart guess about what will happen
What do all systems have in common?
They have parts that work together
What is data?
Information collected during an experiment
What is a reliable source?
A source that gives true and accurate information
What is a System?
A group of parts that work together
Which variable is the one you change on purpose?
The independent variable
What happens if one part of a system stops working?
The system may not work properly
Name one way scientists collect data.
Measuring, counting, observing, or recording
Is a .edu or .gov website usually reliable?
YES
Why do scientists do research before experimenting?
To learn information and plan a good experiment
Which variable is the one you measure or observe?
The dependent variable
Why are systems made up of smaller parts?
Each part has a job
Why is it important to record data carefully?
To make results accurate and trustworthy
Why is Wikipedia not always a good source by itself?
Anyone can edit it
What is one reason scientists repeat experiments?
To make results more accurate
What word is often used to start a strong hypothesis?
"If” (as in If… then… because)
How do parts of a system work together?
They depend on each other to work
What should you do if your results don’t match your hypothesis?
Explain what happened and what you learned
Name one way to tell if a source is trustworthy.
Check the author, date, or website type
Why is it important to keep some things the same during an experiment?
To make sure the test is fair
Why should a hypothesis be testable?
So it can be tested in an experiment
Why is understanding systems important in real life?
It helps us understand how things work in the world
Why are charts and tables helpful?
They make data easier to understand
Why should scientists use more than one source?
To make sure information is correct