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Experimental design
Hypotheses, theories, and laws
About science
Observation and Inference
Random things
100
What is a variable?
something that changes
100
What is a theory?
An idea with lots of evidence to support it
100
What is a hypothesis?
An educated guess
100
What is an observation?
Data gathered using your senses (touch, taste, smell, see, or hear)
100
What is "verification"?
When others test your experiment and see that your results are correct
200
What do scientists call the variable that is measured?
the dependent variable
200
True or false: a good hypothesis must be testable.
True
200
Why can science not be used to study aliens?
They can't be observed or measured
200
What is an inference?
An educated guess based on what you see, hear, smell, taste, or feel
200
"If I add fertilizer to plants, then they will grow faster." -- Identify the dependent variable and the independent variable in this hypothesis.
IV: whether you add fertilizer or not DV: how fast the plants grow
300
What is a "control"?
Something used to compare your results with
300
What is "peer review" necessary for?
Before your hypothesis can become a theory, other scientists must test it too!
300
Give an example of a question that CAN be answered by science.
(answers vary)
300
What do scientists call an observation that uses numbers?
quantitative observation
300
What is a law?
An observation that happens every time; a fact
400
"If I give my rats vitamins, then they will be healthier." -- identify the dependent variable and independent variable in this hypothesis.
IV: whether or not rats get vitamins DV: health of rats
400
How can a hypothesis become a theory?
When it has been tested many times and lots of evidence has been gathered
400
Give an example of a question that CANNOT be answered by science.
(answers vary)
400
What do scientists call an observation that uses descriptions?
qualitative observation
400
True or false: It is necessary to test a law.
false
500
"If I water my plants, then they will grow taller." -- identify the independent variable AND the dependent variable in this hypothesis.
IV: amount of water for plants DV: height of plants
500
When should a theory be changed?
When new evidence shows that the theory is incorrect
500
List the steps of the scientific method in order.
Ask a question/Identify a problem Research State a hypothesis Test the hypothesis Analyze the data Report your results
500
"The computer on Ms. Heckmann's desk was not expensive." Is this an observation or an inference?
Inference
500
Why is it important not to drink lab chemicals?
Because you might get very sick or die!