Chapter 1: What is Science? Vocabulary
inferring
Explaining or interpreting the things you observe
data
Facts, figures, and other evidence gathered through observations.
scientific theory
a well-tested explanation for a set of observations or experimental results
dependent variable
the factor that may change in response to the independent variable
independent variables
the one variable that is purposely changed to test a hypothesis
inductive reasoning
uses specific observations to make generalizations
subjective
personal feelings affect how you make a decision or reach a conclusion
observing
using one or more of your senses to gather information
evaluating
Comparing observations and data to reach a conclusion about them
skepticism
An attitude of doubt
scientific law
A statement that describes what scientists expect to happen every time under a particular set of conditions
ethics
A system of moral principles.
scientific investigation
A systematic approach to solving problems
quantitative observation #
An observation that deals with a number or amount "NUMBERS"
qualitative observation
An observation that deals with characteristics that cannot be expressed in numbers.
Science
An organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world.
cultural bias
An outlook influenced by the beliefs, social forms, and traits of a group
making models
Creating representations of complex objects or processes
predicting
Making a forecast of what will happen in the future based on past experience or evidence
scientific inquiry
The diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence they gather.
classifying
The process of grouping together items that are alike in some way
experimental bias
a mistake in the design of an experiment that makes a particular result more likely
hypothesis
a possible answer to a scientific question
controlled experiment
an experiment in which only one variable is changed
personal bias
an outlook influenced by a person's likes and dislikes
variables
factors that can change in an experiment, must be the same
objective
make decisions and draw conclusions based on available evidence
deductive reasoning
way to explain things by starting with a general idea and then applying the idea to a specific observation