Question | Answer |
a way of learning more about the natural world | science |
an attempt to explain a pattern observed repeatedly in the natural world | scientific theory |
a rule that describes a pattern in nature | scientific law |
a collection of structures, cycles, and processes that relate to and interact with each other | system |
the study of living systems and the ways in which they interact | life science |
the study of Earth systems and the systems in space | Earth science |
the study of matter and energy | physical science |
the practical use of science, or applied science | technology |
a reasonable and educated possible answer based on what you know and observe | hypothesis |
to draw conclusions based on what you observe | infer |
involves changing one factor and observing its effect on another while keeping all other factors constant | controlled experiment |
factors that can be changed in an experiment | variables |
the variable that is changed in the experiment | independent variable |
this changes as a result of a change in the independent variable | dependent variable |
variables that are not changed in an experiment | constants |
any representation of an object or event used as a tool for understanding the natural world | model |
information gathered during an investigation | data |
combining what you already know with the new facts that you are given | critical thinking |