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Definition stack
science
Term | Definition |
---|---|
science | a way of learning about the natural world through observations and logical reasoning |
observing | the process of using one or more of your senses to gather information |
inferring | the process of making an inference, an interpretation based on observations and prior knowledge |
predicting | the process of forecasting what will happen in the future based on past experience or evidence |
chemistry | the study of the properties of matter and how matter changes |
physics | the study of matter,energy,motion and forces and how they interact |
scientific inquiry | the ongoing process of discovery in science the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on evidence they gather |
hypothesis | a possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question must be testable |
parameter | a factor that can be measured in an experiment |
manipulated variable | the one factor that a scientist changes during an experiment; also called independent variable |
responding variable | the factor that changes as a result of changes to the manipulated,or independent, variable in an experiment; also called dependent variable |
controlled experiment | an experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time |
data | Facts,figures, and other evidence gathered through observations |
communicating | the process of sharing ideas with others through writing and speaking |
model | physical,mental,visual and other representations of an idea to help people understand a concept that they cannot observe directly |
scientific theory | a well-tested explanation for a wide range of observations or experimental results |
scientific law | a statement that describes what scientists expect to happen every time under a particular set of conditions |
graph | a picture of information from a data table shows the relationship between variables |
horizontal axis | a line that runs left to right along the bottom of a graph on which the manipulated variable (or independent variable) is labeled |
vertical axis | a line that runs up and down along the side of a graph, on which the responding variable ( or independent variable) is labeled |
origin | the (0,0) point on a line graph where the x-axis and y-axis cross on a graph |
coordinate | a pair of numbers used to determine a position of a point on a graph |
data point | a point on a graph showing the location of a piece of data |
line of best fit | a smooth line that reflects the general pattern in a graph |
linear graph | a line graph in which the data points yield a straight line |
slope | the steepness of a line on a graph, equal to its vertical change divided by its horizontal change |
nonlinear graph | a line graph in which the data points do not fall along a straight line |
Qualitative data | data that uses descriptions instead of numbers |
Quantitative data | data collected by measuring; uses numbers |