Lab Safety Rules And The Scientific Method

Question 1

Scientific Method

Answer 1

Trying to find the answers to a question.

Question 2

Observation

Answer 2

Using all of your senses and scientific instruments to describe a thing or event.

Question 3

Inference

Answer 3

A conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.

Question 4

Prediction

Answer 4

A guess based on scientific evidence.

Question 5

Qualitative Observation

Answer 5

Describing the quality of a thing

Question 6

Qualitative Data

Answer 6

Information based on the qualities of something

Question 7

Quantitative Observation

Answer 7

Uses your senses to observe the results. (Sight, smell, touch, taste and hear.)

Question 8

Quantitative Data

Answer 8

Information about quantities; that is, information that can be measured and written down with numbers.

Question 9

Control

Answer 9

A trial where all the variables are held constant. A control is used as the standard of comparison for your experiment.

Question 10

Independent Variable

Answer 10

The variable that you CHANGE in an experiment on purpose.

Question 11

Dependent Variable

Answer 11

The variable that is influenced by the independent variable; the results of your experiment.

Question 12

List the steps in the Scientific Method

Answer 12

1. Identify the problem
2. Form a hypothesis
3. Create an experiment
4. Perform the experiment
5. Analyze your data
6. Draw a conclusion
7. Communicate your results

Question 13

Explain the difference between observation, inference and prediction

Answer 13

An OBSERVATION is something you detect using one or more of your 5 senses. … An INFERENCE is what you decide about an observation. INFERENCES attempt to explain or interpret observations based on the evidence and/or our experience. A PREDICTION is an educated guess about a future event.

Question 14

How does scientific research become a theory and then a law

Answer 14

A theory is a proposed explanation that has been extensively tested and is based on many observations. A theory becomes a law once it has been tested and tested until it cannot be proven wrong.

Question 15

Differentiate and give examples of independent and dependent variables in an experiment

Answer 15

Dependent Variable: This is the output variable you are really interested in monitoring to see if it was affected or not. It can also be called the “measured variable,” the “responding variable,” the “explained variable,” etc. I think it is easy to remember this one because it is dependent on the other variables.

Independent Variables: These are the individual variables that you believe may have an effect on the dependent variable. They are sometimes called “explanatory variables,” “manipulated variables,” or “controlled variables.”

Ex. Independent: Types of plant
Ex. Dependent: The height of the plant

Question 16

Design an analyze a scientific experiment

Answer 16

You will need
One small empty plastic soda or water bottle
1/2 cup of vinegar
Small balloon
Baking soda
Funnel or piece of paper
What to do
Carefully pour the vinegar into the bottle.
This is the tricky part: Loosen up the balloon by stretching it a few times and then use the funnel to fill it a bit more than half way with baking soda. If you don’t have a funnel you can make one using the paper and some tape.
Now carefully put the neck of the balloon all the way over the neck of the bottle without letting any baking soda into the bottle.
Ready? Lift the balloon up so that the baking soda falls from the balloon into the bottle and mixes with the vinegar. Watch the fizz-inflator at work!
How does it work?
The baking soda and the vinegar create an ACID-BASE reaction and the two chemicals work together to create a gas, (carbon dioxide) Gasses need a lot of room to spread out and the carbon dioxide starts to fill the bottle, and then moves into the balloon to inflate it.

MAKE IT AN EXPERIMENT

The project above is a DEMONSTRATION. To make it a true experiment, you can try to answer these questions:

Does water temperature affect how fast the balloon fills up.
Does the size of the bottle affect how much the balloon fills?
Can the amount the balloon fills-up be controlled by the amount of vinegar or baking soda?
Science Bob