Lesson 1 Flashcards
Science
is the investigation and exploration of natural events and of the new information that results from those investigations.
observation
The results of using one or more of your senses to gather information and taking note of what occurs.
Inference
logical explanation of an
observation that is drawn from
prior knowledge or experience
critical thinking
comparing what you
already know with the information
you are given in order to decide
whether you agree with it
description
spoken or written
summary of observations
explanation
interpretation of
observations
International System of Units
internationally accepted system of
measurement
prediction
statement of what will
happen next in a sequence of
events
percent error
expression of error as
a percentage of the accepted value
hypothesis
possible explanation for
an observation that can be tested
by scientific investigations
inference
logical explanation of an
observation that is drawn from
prior knowledge or experience
scientific law
rule that describes a
repeatable pattern in nature
scientific theory
explanation of observations or events that is based on knowledge gained from many observations and investigations
technology
practical use of scientific
knowledge, especially for industrial
or commercial use
scientific notation
method of writing
or displaying very small or very
large numbers
constant
factor in an experiment
that stays the same
control group
contains the same
factors as the experimental group,
but the independent variable is not
changed
dependent variable
factor you
observe or measure during an
experiment
experimental group
used to study
how a change in the independent
variable changes the dependent
variable
independent variable
factor that
you want to test; is changed by the
investigator to observe how it
affects a dependent variable
qualitative data
words used to
describe what is observed
quantitative data
numbers used to
describe what is observed
variable
any factor that can have
more than one value
