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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 the 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 to 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 the 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 observations. |
| 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 answers 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 change to the manipulated,or independent variable in a 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. |
| scientific theory | A well tested explanation for a wide range of observation or experimental results. |
| scientific law | A statement that describes what scientists expect to happen to happen every time under a particular set of conditions. |
| science inquiry | The ongoing process of discovery in science;the diverse ways in which scientist study the natural world and propose explantations |
| hypothesis | A possible explanation for a set of observations or answers to a scientific question;must be testable |
| variable | A factor that can change in a experiment. |
| manipulated variable | The one factor that a scientist changes during a experiment;also called independent variable. |
| responding variable | The factor that changes as a result of changes to a manipulated,or independent,variable in an experiment;also called dependent variable. |
| controlled experiment | An expereiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a 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. |