What is Science?
How Do Scientists Learn About
the Natural World?
What Are Some Types of
Investigations?
How Do You Perform a
Controlled Experiment?
How Can Scientists Learn from
Observations?
100
Science is the study of the _______ _____ by making observations and by performing investigations.
natural world
100
What should you do if you want your friends to believe a statement you make?
a)Ask a question you can test.
b)Gather evidence to support it.
c)Make a prediction.
d)Collect information about your friends.
b)Gather evidence to support it.
100
A hypothesis must be testable. Which hypothesis is testable?
a)Blue is the best color.
b)Summer is nicer than fall.
c)Dogs are better than cats.
d)A beagle can jump higher than a Persian cat.
d)A beagle can jump higher than a Persian cat.
100
True or false, testing only one variable at a time, while keeping all of the other variables the same is called the control.
True
100
True or false. Scientists cannot draw conclusion from simply making observations, they must conduct an experiment.
false
200
Joseph wonders what kinds of birds live in his neighborhood. What skill will Joseph use to investigate the variety of birds in his neighborhood?
observe
200
Researchers at Florida International University surveyed people to find out how many would not evacuate if a hurricane were approaching. In 1992, 18% would not evacuate. In 1995, 34% would not evacuate. In 1999, 46% said they would not evacuate. How can scientists use this information?
a)to predict where people go when they evacuate
b)to explain why people choose not to evacuate
c)to predict how many people will not evacuate
d)to predict which route people will use to evacuate
c)to predict how many people will not evacuate
200
A Scientific Method
Form a hypothesis.
Develop a plan.
Test the hypothesis.
Analyze results.
Communicate results.
Which statement is true of this scientific method?
a)It should be considered a flexible guide.
b)It lists each step according to importance.
c)It is the only one that scientists use.
d)The results should not be communicated if you don’t like them.
a)It should be considered a flexible guide.
200
Which reasoning explains why it is important to have more than one trial in an experiment?
a)The results should differ each time.
b)One of the trials will support your hypothesis.
c)The conditions in an experiment are very different in every trial.
d)Small errors can be averaged when there are multiple trials.
d)Small errors can be averaged when there are multiple trials.
200
Students look out a window for 5 min. They record the number, the type, and the color of the vehicles that pass. Which claim describes what the students are doing?
a)They are drawing conclusions.
b)They are doing an experiment.
c)They are hypothesizing.
d)They are making observations.
d)They are making observations.
300
Taylor made some observations and has a question he would like to answer. What should Taylor do next?
a)form an opinion
b)analyze evidence
c)plan and conduct an investigation
d)draw conclusions and communicate results
c)plan and conduct an investigation
300
What does it mean to make a prediction?
To make a prediction means to make a claim about what you think might happen. Because scientists knew how gibberellin affected rice plants, they made a prediction that gibberellin would affect other plants in a similar way.
300
Rosa conducts an experiment. Her results do not support her hypothesis. What should she do?
a)Repeat the experiment to check for errors.
b)Change the results to support the hypothesis.
c)Discard the data because it does not agree with her hypothesis.
d)Try to make an experiment that will give her the results she wants.
a)Repeat the experiment to check for errors
300
When you conduct an experiment, why is it a good idea to make a prediction?
Making a prediction before you conduct the experiment allows you to test your understanding
300
Which of these is an example of a scientific observation?
a)“The rock is smooth and gray.”
b)“What is the best brand of soap?”
c)“Most people drive black cars.”
d)“The sun’s light helps plants grow.”
a)“The rock is smooth and gray.”
400
Sometimes scientists repeat the research of other scientists. Which of the following is the most likely reason scientists do this?
a)to form new theories
b)to improve the research
c)to win prizes for their work
d)to verify that the work is accurate
d)to verify that the work is accurate
400
What are meteorologists doing when they create storm tracks such as this one?
a)predicting
b)testing their ideas
c)explaining how a hurricane develops
d)gathering information to determine the strength of a hurricane
a)predicting
400
Models allow scientists to test things that might be too expensive or difficult to test using the real item. Which of the following would be an investigation that could use a model?
a)whether a new spray will repel mosquitoes
b)how many times per day a robin leaves her nest
c)how much weight can a new bridge support
d)how much water a cubic meter of sand can hold
c)how much weight can a new bridge support
400
You want to test which type of liquid begin to boil the fastest, water with lemon, water with salt, or water with vinegar. What should be my control in this experiment
water
400
Although scientific experiments and other kinds of investigations can be very different, they all start the same way. Which of these would you do first in any scientific investigation?
a)Draw a conclusion.
b)Write a hypothesis.
c)Form a question or problem.
d)Organize data in tables and charts.
c)Form a question or problem.
500
What is the difference between an inference and an observation?
An observation is information gathered directly from your senses. An inference is an idea or conclusion based on an observation
500
What is the difference between the control group and the experimental group?
The control group represents normal conditions: plants being given water with no gibberellin. The experimental group represents the variable conditions: giving the plants gibberellin in addition to water.
500
A scientific method is a way to investigate a scientific problem. Although the order of steps can vary, the tasks performed during each step often stay the same. During which step of the scientific method would a scientist collect data?
a)developing a plan
b)forming a hypothesis
c)testing the hypothesis
d)communicating the results
c)testing the hypothesis
500
You want to know if the mass of a paper airplane or the height from which it is released affects how far the airplane will fly. Which variable should stay the same in the experiment you would conduct?
a)the mass of the plane
b)the distance traveled
c)the height the plane is released from
d)the material the plane is made from
d)the material the plane is made from
500
You notice that your favorite park has a lot of squirrels and you wonder if this is a normal for a large amount of squirrels to hang out in a public area. You decide to visit two other public parks to see if they also have a lot of squirrels. What is one way I may collect data. (answers will vary)
Stay in each park for the same amount of time. Count the squirrels you see at each location to get an estimate for the amount of squirrels in the area at that time. Log each number to compare values of each location. Repeat this at the same time for many days.