Information from GPT Flashcards
Scientific Method
This is a method used primarily for acquiring new knowledge or understanding natural phenomena. It involves observing, forming a hypothesis, experimenting, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. The focus is on understanding how the world works and explaining why things happen the way they do.
Engineering Design Process
This process is used to create solutions to practical problems by designing and making products or systems. It involves identifying a problem, researching, brainstorming solutions, prototyping, testing, and refining designs. The focus is on applying scientific and mathematical principles to develop functional, efficient, and innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Which statement best captures the primary difference between the Scientific Method and the Engineering Design Process?
a) The Scientific Method is focused on creating innovative products, while the Engineering Design Process is concerned with acquiring new knowledge about natural phenomena.
b) The Scientific Method involves the design, prototype, and testing of products or systems, whereas the Engineering Design Process is used for forming hypotheses and conducting experiments.
c) The Scientific Method is used primarily for understanding natural phenomena and involves forming hypotheses and conducting experiments, while the Engineering Design Process focuses on solving practical problems through designing and refining products or systems.
d) The Engineering Design Process is a method for understanding the natural world and its phenomena, while the Scientific Method is used for developing and testing new technologies.
The correct answer to the question is:
c) The Scientific Method is used primarily for understanding natural phenomena and involves forming hypotheses and conducting experiments, while the Engineering Design Process focuses on solving practical problems through designing and refining products or systems.
Reason:
The Scientific Method is fundamentally about understanding the natural world. It involves making observations, proposing hypotheses, conducting experiments to test these hypotheses, analyzing the data, and drawing conclusions. This process is geared towards enhancing our knowledge and comprehension of why and how things happen in the natural world.
In contrast, the Engineering Design Process is application-oriented. It’s about using scientific and mathematical principles to solve practical problems. This process includes identifying a problem, researching, brainstorming potential solutions, creating prototypes, testing these prototypes, and refining the design. The focus is on developing functional, efficient, and innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
This distinction is important for the CSET because it highlights the different aims and methods of scientific inquiry versus practical problem-solving in engineering. Understanding these differences is key to grasping the broader concepts of science and technology education.
Precision
refers to how close multiple measurements are to each other.
Accuracy
refers to how close a measurement is to the true or accepted value.
Question:
In a laboratory experiment, a student conducts multiple trials to measure the boiling point of water. The student’s measurements are 99.8°C, 100.1°C, 100.0°C, 99.9°C, and 100.2°C. Considering these results, how would you describe the student’s measurements in terms of precision and accuracy?
a) Precise but not accurate
b) Accurate but not precise
c) Both precise and accurate
d) Neither precise nor accurate
Correct Answer: (c) Both precise and accurate.
Explanation:
Precision refers to how close multiple measurements are to each other.
Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true or accepted value.
In this case, the student’s measurements are very close to each other (showing high precision) and also close to the actual boiling point of water, which is 100°C (showing high accuracy). Therefore, the correct answer would be (c) Both precise and accurate.
Independent Variable
The independent variable is the factor that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment to test the effects on the dependent variable.
Dependent Variable
The dependent variable is the variable being tested and measured in a scientific experiment.
Question:
A science teacher conducts an experiment with her class to investigate the effect of sunlight on plant growth. She places one group of plants in a room with windows where they receive natural sunlight, and another group in a room without windows where they are exposed to artificial light. She measures the growth of the plants in centimeters over a period of four weeks.
In this experiment, identify the independent variable and the dependent variable.
a) Independent Variable: Plant growth; Dependent Variable: Type of light
b) Independent Variable: Type of light; Dependent Variable: Plant growth
c) Independent Variable: Length of the experiment; Dependent Variable: Type of light
d) Independent Variable: Number of plants; Dependent Variable: Plant growth
Correct Answer: (b) Independent Variable: Type of light; Dependent Variable: Plant growth.
Explanation:
The independent variable is the factor that is changed or controlled in a scientific experiment to test the effects on the dependent variable.
The dependent variable is the variable being tested and measured in a scientific experiment.
In this scenario, the type of light (natural vs. artificial) is what the teacher changes and controls, making it the independent variable. The growth of the plants, which is what is being measured in response to the different lighting conditions, is the dependent variable. Therefore, the correct answer would be (b) Independent Variable: Type of light; Dependent Variable: Plant growth.
The formula for work (W)
W= Force × Distance.
Question:
A student pushes a box across a level floor with a force of 50 Newtons over a distance of 3 meters. How much work does the student do on the box?
a) 150 Joules
b) 53 Joules
c) 17 Joules
d) 0 Joules
Correct Answer: (a) 150 Joules.
Explanation:
To determine the amount of work done on the box, we use the formula for work, which is Work = Force x Distance.
In this scenario, the force applied to the box is 50 Newtons, and the distance over which the box is moved is 3 meters. Therefore, the work done on the box can be calculated as follows:
Work = 50 Newtons x 3 meters = 150 Joules.
Thus, the student does 150 Joules of work on the box. The correct answer to the question is (a) 150 Joules. This calculation reflects the basic principle that work is the product of the force applied in the direction of the displacement and the magnitude of that displacement.
Positive Work
Positive Work occurs when the force and the displacement are in the same direction.
Negative Work
Negative Work occurs when the force and the displacement are in opposite directions.
Question:
A student pulls a sled with a force of 40 Newtons across a horizontal surface for a distance of 5 meters to the right. After a short break, the student then pushes the sled with the same force of 40 Newtons for 5 meters to the left, back to the starting point. How would you describe the work done by the student in each phase of the movement?
a) Positive work in both pulling and pushing the sled
b) Negative work in both pulling and pushing the sled
c) Positive work while pulling the sled and negative work while pushing it
d) Negative work while pulling the sled and positive work while pushing it
Correct Answer: (c) Positive work while pulling the sled and negative work while pushing it.
Explanation:
Positive Work occurs when the force and the displacement are in the same direction.
Negative Work occurs when the force and the displacement are in opposite directions.
In the first part of the question, the student pulls the sled in the same direction as the displacement, which means the work done is positive. In the second part, the student pushes the sled in the opposite direction to the displacement, meaning the work done is negative. Therefore, the correct answer is (c) Positive work while pulling the sled and negative work while pushing it.
Simple machines (Definition)
Simple machines are devices that change the direction or magnitude of a force.
