biology section 1
scientific method
a technique used in science to acquire or correct knowledge about specific subject matter
control/experimental group similarities
all groups are compared to the control group (the normal group) both are groups within a single controlled experiment
variables
any condition that may cause a change in the system being studied
qualitative data
descriptive data (color, texture, category)
control/experimental group differences
experimental group - one independent variable altered control group - does not contain the independent variable
experimental group
has one variable altered
identify the variables used in experiments and describe them
in a controlled experiment, only one independent variable is allowed the independent variable is changed by the experimentor the dependent variable relies on the independent variable the dependent variable is measured and observed the controlled variables (constant variables) must stay the same in order to draw a conclusion at the end of an experiment
quantitative data
numerical data (time, length, distance)
list and describe the steps of the scientific method
observations - all things that can be concluded by using the five senses research - using reliable sources to find background information hypothesis - a prediction of what you believe will occur (numbers) experiment - extract qualitative and quantitative data; testing the hypothesis in a controlled environment Conclusion - answer to the scientific question based on experimental data and results share results - reporting results to the community
controlled experiment
only one variable is changed to ensure that the effect of only that one variable can be measured
what is a research question
the research question is the question you are trying to answer with the results from your experiment. it must contain two things: the independent variable and the dependent variable.
control group
used to compare (no IV)
independent variable
variable changed by the experimenter
dependent variable
variable that changes as a result of the independent variable
controlled variables
variables that remain the same in an experiment