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Basic Science > Scientific Investigation > Flashcards

Scientific Investigation Flashcards

1
Q

absolute zero

A

temperature at which all molecular motion ceases

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2
Q

accuracy

A

the closeness of a measured value to an accepted value

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3
Q

Big Bang Theory

A

instant formation of the Universe in an enormous explosion billions of years ago

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4
Q

biology

A

branch of science that studies life

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5
Q

box and whisker plot

A

a graph showing the median, quartiles, and extremes of a set of data

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6
Q

calibration

A

process of comparing a measuring instrument to a known standard and adjusting it to read accurately

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7
Q

Celsius

A

temperature scale where water freezes at 0 and boils at 100 under one atmosphere of pressure

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8
Q

chemistry

A

branch of science that studies the elements and the interactions of atoms

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9
Q

conservation of mass

A

scientific law that states that there are always the same number and type of atoms before and after a chemical reaction

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10
Q

continental drift

A

the theory that Earth originally had a single landmass that split and began to drift apart some 200 million years ago

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11
Q

controlled variable

A

experimental parameter that is kept constant

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12
Q

conversion factor

A

ratio of equivalent values that expresses a single quantity in two different units

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13
Q

dependent variable

A

factor that changes in response to changes of the independent variable

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14
Q

derived units

A

unit that is defined a combination of fundamental units diffusion process of mixing that occurs as two substances in the gas or liquid phase mix with one another by way of random motion

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15
Q

empiricism

A

philosophy that scientific theories are objective, testable, and predictive of results that can be checked, and possibly falsified through proper experimentation

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16
Q

exothermic

A

process or reaction that releases energy and usually produces heat

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17
Q

experiment

A

set of controlled tests and observations of the results that determine whether a prediction is correct

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18
Q

exponential decay

A

process that decreases based on a multiple of current value

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19
Q

exponential growth

A

process that increases based on a multiple of current value

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20
Q

Fahrenheit

A

temperature scale based on 32° as freezing point and 212° as boiling point of water

21
Q

falsifiable

A

a hypothesis for which a test exists that could show it to be incorrect

22
Q

fundamental units

A

quantifiable aspects, such as time, distance, velocity, mass, and weight, and the accepted units to measure them

23
Q

geology

A

branch of science that studies Earth and its systems; often grouped with astronomy and cosmology as Earth and Space Sciences

24
Q

half-life

A

the time it takes for a radioactive element to decay into one-half its original amount

25
Q

hypothesis

A

a possible explanation for a phenomenon that can be tested

26
Q

independent variable

A

factor that is controlled by the experimenter

27
Q

International System of Units (SI)

A

system of base units and multipliers used internationally by scientists

28
Q

interquartile range

A

the range of the middle 50 percent of observations

29
Q

Kelvin scale

A

temperature scale based on absolute zero and units identical to the Celsius scale; named after Lord W. T. Kelvin, a Scottish physicist

30
Q

mathematics

A

the study of numbers

31
Q

mean

A

the average of a collection of values, derived by summing the values and dividing by the number of values

32
Q

median

A

a type of average that is found by arranging values in ascending order and selecting the value in the middle

33
Q

natural selection

A

the process of organisms best adapted to their environment the most likely to survive and transmit their hereditary characteristics to subsequent generations

34
Q

observation

A

act of collecting data in an experiment

35
Q

physics

A

science that studies the physical Universe and how its parts interact

36
Q

precision

A

exactness to which a measurement can be reproduced

37
Q

prediction

A

expected outcome of an experiment based on a hypothesis or theory

38
Q

realism

A

philosophy of identify structure and cause in science

39
Q

scientific investigation

A

the process of asking and answering a question, and comparing the answer(s) with what is already known

40
Q

science

A

way of observing nature and the Universe and of testing explanations for how and why things are the way they are

41
Q

scientific law

A

statement of fact that explains a relationship in nature that is generally accepted to be true and universal

42
Q

scientific method

A

the principles and procedures used for the systematic pursuit of scientific knowledge

43
Q

significant digits

A

all the known digits in a measured or calculated result plus one estimated digit

44
Q

standard deviation

A

a statistical measure of variability; derived by the square root of the average of the squares of deviations about the mean of a set of data

45
Q

theory

A

explanation of the natural world that incorporates conclusions from a number of well-tested hypotheses

46
Q

temperature

A

measure of the average kinetic energy of particles in a sample of matter

47
Q

variable

A

factor that can change in an experiment

48
Q

Wallace, Alfred

A

(1823-1913) began promoting the idea of geographic distribution as a factor in evolutionary biology independent of Darwin and also developed the idea of natural selection

49
Q

Wegener, Alfred

A

(1880-1930) credited with the ideas of continental drift and plate tectonics

Basic Science (12 decks)

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