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SCI-7 U1
All Words
Term | Definition |
---|---|
observation | An act of noting and recording an event, behavior, or fact with an instrument or with the 5 senses. |
inference | A logical conclusion drawn from the available evidence and prior knowledge. |
bias | Basing conclusions on opinion rather than information. |
science | The general method we use to discover answers to questions about the universe by carefully thinking about the question, guessing the answer, and testing our guess. |
hypothesis | A tentative explanation for an observation or scientific problem that can be tested by a scientific experiment. |
scientific experiment | An organized procedure used to study something under controlled conditions. |
independent variable | The one factor that you are testing in your experiment and the only factor which causes change. |
dependent variable | The measure of the response or change that has occurred due to a change in the independent variable. |
standardized variables | All the factors which must be kept the same in order to know that observed changes are due to a change in the independent variable only. |
control group | Another group in an experiment that is the same in every way except it does not have the independent variable applied to it and is used for comparison. |
mean | The average of a set of numbers. Calculated by adding up all of the numbers and then dividing by the number of numbers in the set. |
median | The middle number of a set of numbers that has been placed in order. |
mode | The number in a set of data that occurs most often. |
range | The least value and the greatest value in a set of data. |
Metric System | The system of measurement used by all scientists. |
length | The straight line distance between two points. |
meter | The Metric base unit of measure for length. |
mass | The amount of matter in an object. |
gram | The Metric base unit of measure for mass. |
balance | The tool used for measuring the mass of an object. |
weight | A measure of the force of gravity pulling on an object. |
Newton | The Metric unit of measure for weight. |
volume | The amount of space and object takes up or how much liquid a containeer can hold. |
liter | The Metric base unit of liquid volume. |
graduated cylinder | A lab tool used for measuring volume. |
water displacement | A method used to find the volume of an irregularly shaped object. |
precision | The consistency of measurment and how well you can do the same thing over and over. |
accuracy | The difference between a measurement and the actual value. |
conclusion | A paragraph summarizing the purpose and results of an investigation, whether your hypothesis is accepted or rejected, a question for further research, something you learned, and advice you have for other scientists conducting the same investigation. |
temperature | The measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules in a substance and is the numerical measure of how hot or cold something is. |
degrees Celsius | The metric unit of measure for temperature. |
thermometer | The tool used to find the temperature of something. |
cubic centimeter | The unit of measure for measuring solid volume. |
faulty reasoning | Occurs when the conclusion is not supported by the data. |
scale | The laboratory instrument used to measure weight. |