| Question |
Answer |
| science |
a way of learning about the natural world and the knowledge gained through the process |
| scientific inquiry |
the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world |
| observation |
a skill that involves the use of one or more of the senses to gather information and collect data |
| data |
the facts, figures, and other evidence gathered through observation |
| inference |
an interpretation of an observation that is based on evidence or prior knowledge |
| hypothesis |
a possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question; must be testable |
| variables |
factors that can change in an experiment |
| manipulated (independent) variable |
the one factor that a scientist changes to test a hypothesis during an experiment |
| responding (dependent) variable |
the factor that changes as a result of the changes to the manipulated variable in an experiment |
| controlled experiment |
an experiment where all of the variables except for one remain the same |
| scientific theory |
a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations |
| classification |
the process of grouping things based on their similarities |
| binomial nomenclature |
the naming system for organisms in which each organism is given a two-part name- a genus name and a species name |
| genus |
a classification grouping that consists of a number of similar, closely related species |
| species |
a group of similar organisms whose members can mate with one another and produce fertile offspring |
| taxonomic key |
a series of paired statements that describe the physical characteristics of different organisms |
HHS Shrek
