Scientific Skills Flashcards
What are the skills of a scientist?
1) Observing
2) Classifying
3) Experimenting
4) Hypothesizing
5) Measuring
6) Manipulating
7) Reporting
8) Recording
9) Designing
10) Drawing
11) Interpreting
12) Predicting
What is observing?
Using one or more of your senses to find out about an object or event in the environment. There are two types – qualitative and quantitative.
a. Qualitative: describes the quality (characteristics) of something with the use of
adjectives. E.g. hard, yellow, dry, large, etc.
b. Quantitative: describes the quantity (number or amount) of something; measurement is used; e.g. 20 cm3, 40 g, 60 dm3.
What is classifying?
grouping objects or events according to their observed properties or with similar characteristics.
What is experimenting?
designing and performing a set of test procedures under controlled
conditions to obtain reliable information.
What is hypothesizing?
suggesting answers to questions or problems that can be tested by
experiments. (Making an education guess)
What is measuring?
using units of measurement and measuring apparatus to compare an unknown quantity with a standard quantity.
What is manipulating?
to handle or control scientific devices using your hands or feet
What is reporting?
presenting a detailed account or the results of an event or the interpretation of an investigation, orally or electronically (state examples of electronic devices used for reporting).
What is recording?
using tables, drawings or other means to store observations or measurements (data) on paper or electronically as in film as a means of preserving knowledge. In other words, the documentation of results.
What is designing?
planning or making decisions about something that is being built or created. This may include a written plan, drawing, illustration or model.
What is drawing?
creating a picture or image by making lines and marks on a paper, board or some surface, with a pen, pencil, marker, chalk etc. This is usually done with paints.
There are also computer drawing programs with tools that mimic those used by hand.
What is interpreting?
arriving at a conclusion based on the observations made during an
experiment.
What is predicting?
using previous knowledge to suggest what the outcome of an event or
process will be.
What are the nine steps of the scientific method?
- Problems statement/observation/question
- Hypothesis
- Design of experiment to test
- Variables (manipulating [or independent], controlling and responding [or dependent])
NB:
i. Manipulating variable – what you are changing
ii. Control Variable – what you keep the same
iii. Responding Variable – what you are measuring (or what you are observing) - Conducting Experiment
- Conclusion
- Redesign the experiment where applicable
- Conduct experiment again
- Conclusions
What is the definition of an experiment?
a scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.
