Vocabulary
What is a hypothesis?
a testable prediction about what will happen.
What was Matthew's question?
Do plants grow better in sunlight or shade?
What is a variable?
something that changes in an experiment.
What is the first step of the scientific method?
ask a question
True or False: A hypothesis is always correct.
false - it's a prediction you test
What is data?
What was Matthew's hypothesis?
plants will grow taller in the sunlight
Why is it important to only change one variable?
What step comes after "ask a question"?
make a hypothesis
Why do scientists repeat experiments?
to make sure results are accurate and correct.
What does "gather materials" mean?
collecting the tools and items you need to do the experiment.
What was Matthew's variable?
the place where the plant grows - sunlight vs shade
Why did Matthew water both plants the same amount?
to keep the test fair
What step comes after forming a hypothesis?
gather materials
If Matthew did the experiment again but forgot to water the closest plant, what would happen?
the test wouldn't be fair.
What does "ask a question" mean?
deciding what you want to find out.
What data did Matthew collect?
measuring the height of the plants for two weeks.
What step means writing down what you learned?
draw a conclusion
Which step of the scientific method uses tools like rulers, timers, or thermometers?
collecting data
What is a conclusion?
the end where you explain what you learned.
What was Matthew's conclusion?
plants in sunlight grow taller than plants in shade.
If Matthew has used different kinds of plants, would his test be fair? Why or why not?
no, because that would be changing more than one variable.
Put all six steps in order, starting with step one and ending with step six.
ask a question, form a hypothesis, gather materials, do the experiment, collect data, draw a conclusion
Why is the scientific method important?
it helps scientists solve problems and answer questions in a fair way.