Section 1.3: Methods of Science Flashcards
observation
a direct method of gathering information in an orderly way
inferences
logical conclusions
scientific methods
the methods used to gather information and answer questions
hypothesis
a testable explanation of a situation
when is a hypothesis considered as “valid”
when it is significantly backed up by related investigations
what does serendipity mean
the occurrence of accidental or unexpected but fortunate results
experiment
when scientists investigate a phenomenon in a controlled setting to test a hypothesis
control group
a group in an experiment that is used for comparison
experimental group
the group in an experiment that is exposed to the factor being changed
independent variable
the single factor that changes in a controlled experiment
dependent variable
the factor that results from or depends on changes in the independent variable in a controlled experiment
constant
a factor that remains fixed during an experiment while the independent and dependent variables change
data
information gained from observations
what are the types of data
qualitative and quantitative
why are investigations often repeated many times
to obtain consistent, accurate results
