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S&T: Chapter 1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| science | A way of learning about the natural world through observations and logical reasoning: leads to a body of knowledge |
| observing | The process of using one or more of your senses to gather information. |
| quantitative observation | an observation that deals with a number or amount. |
| qualitative observation | an observation that deals with characteristics that cannot be expressed in numbers. |
| 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 |
| classifying | the process of grouping together items that are alike in some way. |
| evaluating | comparing observations and data to reach a conclusion about them |
| making models | the process of creating representations of complex objects or processes. |
| skepticism | an attitude of doubt. |
| ethics | the rules that enable people to know right from wrong |
| personal bias | an outlook influenced by a person's likes and dislikes |
| cultural bias | an outlook influenced by the beliefs, social forms, and traits of a group |
| experimental bias | a mistake in the design of an experiment that makes a particular result more likely |
| objective | describes the act of decision-making or drawing conclusions based on available evidence |
| subjective | describes the influence of personal feelings on a decision or conclusion |
| deductive reasoning | a way to explain things by starting with a general idea and then applying the idea to a specific observation |
| inductive reasoning | using specific observations to make generalizations |
| 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. |
| variable | A factor that can change 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 a dependent variable. |
| controlled experiment | an experiment in which only one variable ins manipulated at time. |
| data | facts, figures, and other evidence gathered through observations. |
| 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 |