Science- A Way Of Thinking Flashcards
What is Scientific Inquiry?
It is the ways that scientists explore the world, usually by the Scientific Method.
What is science?
Science is a systematic way of thinking about the world by collecting information.
Carl Sagan once said “Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of facts”
What are the steps in The Scientific Method?
Observation, Research, Hypothesis, Experiment, Data collection & analysis, Conclusion.
Note that scientific inquiry may require skipping or going back steps.
What are changing factors in experiments?
Variables. There are 2 types of variables.
Independent-the changed variable. Also the manipulated variable.
Dependent variable-the observed change caused by the independent variable.
What is a Controlled Experiment?
An experiment where all but one variable is held constant.
May have a Control Group to compare to.
What is a controlled variable?
Unchanging Variables.
Give a meaning to experiment.
What is a Scientific Theory?
An explanation of a phenomenon that is well supported by data.
- Theories are NOT facts
- Theories are constantly tested if held true
- are an attempt to explain WHY something happens
What is a Scientific Law?
A description of a natural event or phenomenon shown to occur again & again under the same conditions.
- Are well documented & supported
- rare for a law to be disproven
- Often predict accurately via mathematics
