Module 2 Flashcards
1a. Define: Counter example
An example that contradicts a conclusion
1b. Define: Hypothesis
An educated guess that attempts to explain an observation or answer a question
1c. Define: Theory
A hypothesis that has been tested by with a significant amount of data
1d. Define: Scientific law
A theory that has been tested by and is consistent with generations of data
- When someone tells you that “science has proven” something, what should you say?
Science can never prove anything.
- Does a scientific theory have to make sense?
No, it does not.
- A feather and a penny are dropped from a top of a building. Which will hit the ground first?
The penny will hit the ground first.
- A feather and a penny are dropped down a long tube that has no air in it. Which will hit the bottom of the tube first?
Neither, they will fall at the same rate.
- What does it take to destroy a scientific law?
Only one counter example
- (Read story on page 57, first.) What was the observation that Halley made to form this hypothesis?
The objects similar to the one he was studying had been seen before by other scientists at regular intervals in history.
- (Read story on page 57, first.) What was his hypothesis?
The object he was studying was the same thing that the other scientists had seen before.
- (Read story on page 57, first.) What was the experiment that confirmed his hypothesis?
To confirm the presence of the comet again in 1758.
- (Read story on page 57, first.) Regular appearances of Halley’s comet have been found in history as far back as 2,000 years age. Is the existence of Halley’s comet a theory or a scientific law?
Scientific law
- Put the following steps of the scientific method into their proper order:
- a. Form a hypothesis
- b. Theory is now a law
- c. Make observations
- d. Hypothesis is now a theory
- e. Perform experiments to confirm the hypothesis
- f. Perform many experiments over several years
- c. Make observations
- a. Form a hypothesis
- e. Perform experiments to confirm the hypothesis
- d. Hypothesis is now a theory
- f. Perform many experiments over several years
- b. Theory is now a law
- If a hypothesis does not agree with the experiment designed to confirm it, what two choices do you have?
You can either discard the hypothesis or modify it to become consistent with the data.