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Module one science
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| science | the investigation and exploration of natural events and of the new information that results from those investigations. |
| observation | the act of using one or more of your senses to gather information and take note of what occurs. |
| inference | a logical explanation of an observation that is drawn from prior knowledge or experience. |
| hypothesis | a possible explanation for an observation that can be tested by scientific investigations. |
| prediction | a statement of what will happen next in a sequence of events. |
| technology | the practical use of scientific knowledge, especially for industrial or commercial use. |
| scientific theory | an explanation of observations or events that is based on knowledge gained from many observations and investigations. |
| scientific law | a rule that describes a pattern in nature. |
| critical thinking | comparing what you already know with information you are given in order to decide whether you agree with it. |
| description | a spoken or written summary of an observation. |
| explanation | an interpretation of observations. |
| International System of Units (SI) | the internationally accepted system of measurement. |
| accuracy | a description of how close a measurement is to an accepted or true value. |
| precision | a description of how similar or close measurements are to each other. |
| significant digits | the number of digits in a measurement that are known with a certain degree of reliability. |
| variable | any factor that can have more than one value. |
| independent variable | the factor that is changed by the investigator to observe how it affects a dependent variable. |
| dependent variable | the factor a scientist observes or measures during an experiment. |
| constants | the factors in an experiment that remain the same. |