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