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Physical Science
Scientific Inquiry
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Science | The study of the natural world through observations and logical reasoning; leads t a body of knowledge |
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 properties of matter and how matter changes |
Physics | The study of matter, energy, motion, and forces, and how they attract |
Hypothesis | A possible explanation for a set of observations or answer to a scientific question |
Parameters | A factor that can be measured in an experiment |
Communicating | The process of sharing ideas with others through writing and speaking |
Model | A representation of an object or process |
Scientific Theory | Well- tested explanation for a wide range of observations or experimental results |
Scientific Law | A statement that describes what scientist expect to happen every time under a particular set of conditions |
scientific inquiry | The ongoing process of discovery in science. |
manipulated variable | The one variable parameter that scientists change during an experiment. |
responding variable | The variable parameter that changes as a result of changes to the manipulated variable, or independent, variable in an experiment. |
controlled experiment | An experiment in which only one parameter is changed at a time |
qualitative | Qualitative data is observations that do not involve numbers |
quantitative | Quantitative data is data that is measurements and numbers |
graph | A picture information from a data table;shows the relationship between variables |
vertical axis | A line that runs up and down along the side of a graph, on which the responding variable(or dependant variable) is labled |
horizantal axis | A line that runs left to right along the bottom of a graph, on which the manipulated variable(or independent variable) is labled |
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 the 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 |
data | Facts, figures, and other evidence gathered through observations |