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