CHEM Knewton Alta 1.2 The Scientific Method

Which of the following is true?

A law is formed when testing yields constant observations.

Which of the following statements is true?

Theories attempt to explain observations.

Place the following steps of the scientific method in the correct order. 1.Hypothesis becomes theory. 2.Curiosity leads to observations. 3.Experiment is performed and results are consistent with prediction. 4.Hypothesis is created. 5.Additional testing is conducted and it supports hypothesis.

2, 4, 3, 5, 1 The diagram above shows that all scientific investigations start with a simple curiosity based on observations. After that initial step, scientists create a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to test their hypothesis. If much additional testing is done that supports the hypothesis, then it becomes a theory.

Which of the following statements about the scientific method is true?

It is a systematic approach to research. The scientific method begins with observation and curiosity and provides a systematic approach to experimentation and scientific research.

Which of the following is an example of a hypothesis?

Providing plants fertilizer will help them grow taller. A proposed and testable explanation for an observation is known as a hypothesis The point at which water freezes is a scientific fact, all matter is composed of atoms is a theory which as been tested over and over, and force is equal to mass multiplied acceleration is an example of a law.

Select the statement that best completes the following sentence: __________________ sets science apart from other methods of discovery.

The process of experimentation Knowledge can be taught to many kinds of people and documented in many ways, but it is the process of recording and interpreting experimental data that sets science apart from other areas of inquiry.

True or false: In science, a theory is best defined as "a well-supported, comprehensive, and testable explanation of an aspect of the natural world."

True While a laysperson may define theory as "a point of view," or a "speculation," scientists use the term to describe a well-substantiated explanation of some part of nature. These explanations are repeatedly tested, verified, and confirmed through the process of the scientific method.

A scientific theory is best described as:

a comprehensive, substantiated, and testable explanation of how nature works A comprehensive, substantiated, and testable explanation of how nature works is known as a scientific theory. Hypotheses are testable predictions that answer a specific question. Laws are a summary of a vast number of experimental observations.

What is conducted in order to test the validity of a hypothesis?

an experiment An experiment is conducted in order to test the validity of a hypothesis.

Information collected during an experiment is called:

data Raw experimental information is called data, which can then be interpreted to form conclusions that lead to knowledge, facts, and opinions.

A tentative explanation of observations that acts as a guide for gathering and checking information is called a:

hypothesis The hypothesis initiates further experimenting, which could lead to a theory or a law. The entirety of this process is called the scientific method.

Characterize the following statement: If you drink coffee before going to bed, it will take longer to fall asleep.

hypothesis This can best be described as a hypothesis because it is an idea or prediction about the way things are that must be tested by experiment. If by excessive experiment a relationship is proven, a hypothesis can then become a theory or law.

A pattern that has been established based on verified experimental data that describes an observation but does not provide an explanation as to the reason why said observation occurs is a _________.

law A law is a pattern that has been established based on verified experimental data. Laws provide a description of a particular observation, but does not go so far as to explain why the observation occurs. For example, the law of conservation of energy states that energy is neither created nor destroyed but does not explain why this is the case.

In order to be valid, a hypothesis must be:

testable In order to be valid, a hypothesis must be testable.

A well-substantiated, comprehensive, testable explanation of a particular aspect of nature is called a(n):

theory A hypothesis is testable, but not comprehensive. A law has already been sufficiently tested. An observation is not testable or comprehensive.

Characterize the following statement: All life on earth evolved by natural selection from a common ancestor.

theory Evolution of life on earth was not observed, so observation and law are not appropriate. But the ideas developed by evolutionary biology are much more expansive than a mere hypothesis, and include ideas that explain many different phenomena, so evolution by natural selection is a theory.

If a hypothesis is shown to be accurate after multiple tests, then:

there is still a chance that it could be proven wrong Even if a hypothesis is shown to be accurate after multiple tests, there is still a chance that it could be proven wrong.