Science Inquiry Skills Flashcards
what is an investigation?
when scientists use both first and second hand data to reach conclusions about things in the world
what is an experiment?
testing a hypothesis under controlled conditions to find out if it is true
what is the scientific method?
a way of asking and answering questions based on observations.
the scientific method diagram
ask a question/make an observation - background research- hypothesis- conduct an experiment- analyse results and make a conclusion- is the hypothesis supported? yes- communicate results. no- go back to hypothesis, make new one.
what has to be considered when developing a testable question?
useful topic, make sure resources are available, able to be measured, adresses the aim
what is a variable?
a factor that may vary the outcome of an experiment
what is a fair test?
an experiment in which only one variable is tested at a time and includes only one independent variable
whats the independent variable?
the variable being intentionally changed to test its effect on the dependent variable
whats the dependent variable?
the variable being measured, changes according to the independent variable
what are controlled variables?
variables that are kept constant to ensure a fair test
what is a hypothesis?
an educated guess on the outcome of an experiment based on evidence and prior knowledge
what does the hypothesis identify?
the change in the independent variable and the expected change in the dependent
what is an inference?
a logical idea from an observation as to why the observation happens
what is a hazard?
anything that could cause harm
what is a risk assessment?
it identifies hazards, finds their likelihood, finds ways to reduce danger
what should you do whilst identifying risks?
consider the working environment, how youre using the equipmeng, materials being used, how they’ll be displosed of and clothing being worn
what are the 3 ways chemicals can enter the body?
ingestion, inhalation and absorption.
whats ingestion?
the chemical enters through the mouth and enters the bloodstream
whats inhalation?
breathed in, enters bloodstream through crossing the cell layer of the alveoli
whats absorption?
passes straight through skin
what should be done when working with any chemical?
identify chemical codes and dangers, read sds, protective clothing, wipe spills, wash hands, store properly
what do all hazardous chemicals have?
HAZCHEM codes
what does each hazchem sign have?
a distinctive colour, symbol and number
what are safety data sheets?
contains safety and first aid information about every chemical substance
what does an sds state?
name of chemical, names of its ingredients, properties, health hazard information, precautions, manufacturer or importers details
what is something considered unethical in the laboratory?
experimenting on humans with new drugs
what are ethics to consider when experimenting with animals?
reduce number of animals used, replace by simulation, treat with care and respect, their welfare, refine experiment
what has to be done when experimenting on humans?
details confidential, told the aim to give consent, agree to participate
what are 3 things to consider when designing an experiment?
how will the independent variable be changed?, how will the dependent be measured?, how will the others be controlled?
what does a fair test ensure?
that the results either support or refute the hypothesis
whats the experimental group?
the group with the change in the independent being applied.
whats the control group
the group without the change in the independent variable applied.
when is an experiment reliable?
when the results can be reproduced multiple times
how can reliability be improved?
by repeat trials and replication
what are repeat trials?
doing the same experiment many times to ensure results reproduce
whats replication?
conducting the experiment more than once at the same time
how do you know when there have been uncontrolled variables?
there are significant differences in results
whats a procedure?
a list of detailed steps written in past tense
whats the data?
the results collected for the dependent variable
what are the 2 firms of quantitative data?
continuous and discontinuous
what are ways to present data?
tables, graphs, flow charts, pictures, diagrams
what graph is good for discrete data?
column graph
what graph is good for continuous data?
line
what are descriptive statistics?
they are used to summarise, organise and describe data
what is central tendency?
single values that allow you to describe a central position in a data set
whats percentage change?
increases and decreases relative to the control group or starting point
calculation of percentage change
final- original/original X 10
whats percentage difference?
a measure of the precision of 2 measurements
percentage difference calculation
measurement 1 - measurement 2/avg of measurements
whats uncertainty?
a realistic range in which the true value is likely to be
uncertainty calculation
range/ 2 (mean= value +_ value)
what are systematic errors?
errors due to the way the experiment is designed
what are random errors?
unpredictable errors that can occur in any experiment
what does a discussion include?
explains results and their significance, support our refute hypothesis, what they mean, if question answered, new questions, design defects
what are ethics?
a list of principles that can judge your actions as moral or not
whats objective?
free of personal bias
whats subjective?
influenced by personal views
whats an observation?
something that had been noticed through the use of the 5 senses
whats an outlier?
an abnormally high or low value in a data set
whats processed data?
data that has been manipulated
whats a risk assessment?
a systematic way of identifying potential risks
whats a theory?
a scientific explanation supported by the experiment results obtained so far
whats validity?
how well an experiment adheres to being a fair test
