Chapter 1 Key Terms Flashcards
The process of studying natural phenomena, involving observations, forming laws and theories, and testing of theories by experimentation
Scientific method
Quantitative observation that always consists of 2 parts: a number and a unit
Measurement
Set of assumptions put forth to explain the observed behavior of matter
Model
One or more assumptions put forth to explain the observed behavior of nature
Hypothesis
Set of assumptions put forth to explain some aspect of the observed behavior of matter
Theory
A statement that expresses generally observed behavior
Natural law
Mass is neither created nor destroyed
Law of conservation of mass
International system of units based on the metric system & units derived from the metric system
SI system
The quantity of matter in an object
Mass
The force exerted on an object by gravity
Weight
The characteristic that any measurement involves estimates & cannot be exactly reproduced
Uncertainty
The certain digits and the first uncertain digit of a measurement
Significant figures
The agreement of a particular value with the true value
Accuracy
An error that has an equal probability of being high or low
Random error
The degree of agreement among several measurements of the same quantity; the reproducibility of a measurement
Precision