Chapter 1 Building A Better Scientist: lesson 1 Flashcards
What is the process of scientists asking questions about the natural world and trying to answer this questions using evidence they gather?
Scientific inquiry
What is a way of learning about the natural world?
Science
How does a scientific inquiry often start?
A scientific inquiry often starts with an observation.
What is using one or more of your senses to identify or learn about something?
Observation
What is a conclusion formed from available information or evidence called?
An inference
What do Scientists do when new information is discovered about an existing explanation?
Question>explain>new information>
>explanation
still possible?
>explanation modified
>explanation discarded
>new possible
explanation
What is the difference between observation and inference?
An observation is using one or more of your senses to identify or learn about something.
An inference is a conclusion formed from available information or evidence.
Why can’t science answer questions with certainty?
Any answer to a scientific question is uncertain because people will never know everything about the world around them.
With new knowledge some old explanations no longer fit new information.
What is a way of answering scientific questions?
Scientific investigation
What is a scientific investigation that involves changing one factor and observing its effects on another factor while keeping all other factors constant? (Only one thing is changed)
A controlled experiment
What is investigation in which scientists make observations and collect information outside of the laboratory?
A field study
What is a representation of an object or event that is used as a tool for understanding the natural world?
A model
What is a variable?
A variable is a factor that is changed in an experiment.
What is an independent variable?
This is the variable that is changed in a controlled experiment. It can also be called the manipulated variable.
What is the dependent variable?
This is the variable that is being measured.
What would be the independent variable in an experiment investigating the effect of weight on the speed of the vehicles?
The independent variable could be a vehicle pulling different weights at a certain speed.
The independent variable could be different vehicles pulling the same weight at the same speed.
Why is it important to have a controlled group in an experiment?
A control group allows scientists to determine whether changes observed are due to the dependent variable or do to some other factor.
What is an attempt to explain a pattern observed repeatedly in the natural world?
A scientific theory
A theory is not a guess! It is the result of supported observations resulting from several investigations.
What is a rule that describes a pattern in nature?
A scientific law
How are scientific theory and scientific law different?
Scientific theory attempts to explain why something happens the way it does.
Scientific law does not attempt to explain why something is happening. It simply describes a pattern.
All objects exert gravitational force. Is this a scientific theory or a scientific law?
This is a scientific law because it does not explain why an observation is happening. It only describes a pattern.
What is the practical use of science or applied science?
Technology
this is how humans adapt nature to meet needs and wants. Example: computer, telephone, the wheel
Science and technology differ?
Science is the study of the natural world.
Technology is how we use the natural world to meet our needs or wants.
How do scientists learn more about the natural world?
Scientists learn more about the natural world by making models, conducting experiments, and doing field studies.
What are the three branches of science?
Life science, Earth science, and physical science
What is life science?
Life science is the study of living things, plants, animals, where they live and how they interact.
What is Earth science?
Earth science is the study of rocks, soil, oceans, black holes, clouds, rivers, planets, or the atmosphere. It also includes the study of weather and climate systems that affect the Earth.
What is physical science?
Physical science is the study of matter and energy.
Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.
The ability to cause change in matter is energy.
