Asking Scientific Questions Flashcards
Scientists make ____________ of the world and ask questions such
as, ‘How do fossil fuels form?’ or ‘How has air pollution in London
changed over time?’ These are _____________ questions.
Scientists make observations of the world and ask questions such
as, ‘How do fossil fuels form?’ or ‘How has air pollution in London
changed over time?’ These are scientific enquiry questions.
An
observation can give you an idea for a question that you can try to
answer by collecting ___ in an __________.
An
observation can give you an idea for a question that you can try to
answer by collecting data in an investigation.
In science, anything that can change during an investigation, such
as the temperature, and the thing that is affected as a result of the change are called ________
Variables
Tom and Katie are watching a tennis match. Tom notices that tennis
balls bounce much higher than footballs. They also notice that new
tennis balls are brought
out from a refrigerator
during the tennis match. The temperature is the ___________ variable.
The temperature is the INDEPENDENT variable. It is independent
because you change it to see how it affects another variable.
Tom and Katie are watching a tennis match. Tom notices that tennis
balls bounce much higher than footballs. They also notice that new
tennis balls are brought
out from a refrigerator
during the tennis match. How
high the ball bounces is the __________ variable.
How
high the ball bounces is the DEPENDENT variable. It is dependent
because it changes when you change the temperature.
What are the two types of variables that change during an investigation?
The temperature is the independent variable. It is INDEPENDENT
because you change it to see how it affects another variable.
How
high the ball bounces is the DEPENDENT variable. It is dependent
because it changes when you change the temperature.
Katie and Tom think about all the other variables that might affect
the bounce height. Here is their list:
-the height you drop the ball from
-the type of ball
-the surface that you drop the ball onto
-the diameter of the ball
Katie and Tom need to keep these variables the same during their
investigation so that they do not affect the bounce height. These
are called _______________.
CONTROL VARIABLES
This is a fair test enquiry. Changing only one variable to examine
the effect on another variable makes the investigation a __________
Fair test
Sometimes it is not possible to keep all the control variables the
same. This can affect your confidence in the ___________.
Evidence
Describe the difference
between these three types of
variable: independent.
dependent, control.
Independent variable: you change it to see how it affect another variable.
Dependent variable: it changes when you change the independent variable.
Control variables: keep them the same so that they do not effect the outcome (Eg: keep the same type of ball and same surface)
Describe the difference
between these three types of
enquiry question: fair test,
observation, pattern seeking.
Fair test enquiry: Changing only one variable to examine
the effect on another variable makes the investigation a fair test. Eg: keep the same type of ball and same surface when observing how high the tennis ball will bounce.
Observation enquiry: questions, for example, ‘How are the young
of mammals different from each other?’
Pattern seeking: pattern seeking enquiry questions, including:
correlations: for example, ‘Is there a correlation between
drinking fizzy drinks and getting good test marks?’
A correlation means that B changes when A changes, but it
does not necessarily mean that the change to A causes the
change to B.
changes over time: for example, ‘How does the volume of
gas produced in a chemical reaction change over time?’
You can investigate all types of enquiry question by
_____________. The method you use to _____________ depends on
the type of question being asked.
Collecting data
Collect data
Tom makes a ___________ about what might happen. This is only
part of the ___________. Tom also uses his scientific knowledge
to explain why he thinks that the ball will bounce higher. His
hypothesis is based on observation and scientific knowledge.
Without those things it would just be a quess.
Tom makes a PREDICTION about what might happen. This is only
part of the HYPOTHESIS. Tom also uses his scientific knowledge
to explain why he thinks that the ball will bounce higher. His
hypothesis is based on observation and scientific knowledge.
Without those things it would just be a quess.
A student is looking at an ice cube melting in a glass of water. - Suggest a question that she could answer by doing an investigation. - Explain why this is a question that science can answer.
Predict: which ice cube will melt faster?
Why? (Give scientific explanation)
Why might one ice cube melt more quickly than the other?
Observe: glass of water with a ice cube put on a metal block and a plastic block
Ice is at a temperature of 0 C; the surroundings are at about 20 C. For ice to melt, it must gain energy from the surroundings.
Energy can be transferred (move) from the surroundings to the ice by conduction through the metal or plastic. Metal is a better conductor than plastic, so energy is transferred more quickly through the metal. This is why we saw the ice on the metal block melt more quickly.
Suggest three questions
that scientists could investigate
about food, and three that they
could not. Explain your choices.
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