Show:
Soil Formation
Healthy Soil
Misc.
Science Tools
Observation or Inference?
100
This is a slow process that begins with the physical and chemical breakdown of rock.
What is weathering?
100
About how much of the world's surface is available for food production (has healthy topsoil)?
What is 1/32 or about 3%?
100

Modern farming including: the science of cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products is

What is agriculture?

100
This slender tube-like instrument into which liquids are taken up by suction allow for a chemist to remove and transfer the liquid...
What is a pipette?
100
A scientist examines a soil sample and sees tiny bits of rock, sand, little pieces of roots, twigs and a dead beetle. Is this an observation or an inference?
What is an observation?
200
Where does the inorganic matter in soil come from?
What are tiny bits of rock & minerals originally from the parent material (formed and moved - through weathering, erosion and deposition)?
200
This is the part of the top soil that contains rich organic matter (tiny pieces of rotted plants and animals).
What is humus?
200

Scientists must be good at this skill - using one or more of senses to objectively describe something...

What is an observation?

200
This is a representation (often a smaller version) of an idea, an object or even a process or a system that is used to explore, describe or explain scientific phenomena.
What is a model?
200
What type of observation is the following? The temperature of the water was 42 degrees Celsius when measured by the student.
What is a quantitative observation?
300
This is the process where rocks, soil, and sand are set down by water or wind. (For example, the laying down of sediments in streams or rivers).
What is deposition?
300
Why is it important for gardeners to test the nutrient level and pH level in their soil?
What is so their plants will thrive (grow better/be healthier)?
300

These are the four major components of soil.

What are: living/dead organisms (organic matter/humus) and minerals/rocks (inorganic matter), air and water?

300
When precisely measuring using a graduated cylinder it is especially important to look at the curved upper surface of the liquid called...
What is the meniscus?
300
Explaining or predicting things or events based on prior knowledge or logic is
What is inferencing?
400
This is the process when the pieces of rock get moved away.
What is erosion?
400
Why would a gardener measure the pH in soil? (What is she measuring?)
What is to test the acidity or alkalinity - Proper pH (6.0-7.5) will help the plants absorb the nutrients more efficiently. (add lime to make the soil more acidic or calcium to make it more basic)
400

Knowledge gained about the study of the natural world learned through experiments and observation is..

What is science?

400
We used this small cylindrical container to hold and mix soil samples, water and the contents of the tablet when testing nutrient levels in our soil.
What are test tubes?
400
Complete this inference: After planting and harvesting crops, soil will most likely have________ nutrients: A-more B-less C-the same amount of
What is B "less"? Because the plants will most likely use them up!
500
It takes this long to make about one inch of soil naturally.
What is 100 to 1000 years?
500
These are the three major nutrients, found in healthy soil, that plants need in order to thrive (hint: we tested soil for these)?
What are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium(K)?
500
One definition of this word means "without man-made chemicals" and another definition means living or once-living...
What is organic?
500
This very tall, very thin cylindrical, clear tool is used to measure out precise volumes of liquid.
What is a graduated cylinder?
500
Data that involves numbers and/or measurements
What are quantitative observations?