SCIENTIFIC SCIENTIFIC METHODMETHOD
VOCABULARY
ASK A ASK A QUESTION/RESEARCHQUESTION/RESEARCHWHICH OBJECT WILL HIT THE
GROUND FIRST, A HAVEY METAL BALL OR A LIGHT WOODEN BALL??
WHAT HAVE OTHER SCIENTISTS LEARNED ABOUT THIS TOPIC?
HYPOTHESISHYPOTHESISA SHORT STATEMENT THAT SAYS
WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND WHY. THE MORE SPECIFIC THE BETTER!
EXAMPLE: THE METAL BALL WILL HIT THE GROUND FIRST BECAUSE IT IS HEAVIER.
PROCEDUREPROCEDURESTEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON
HOW TO PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT
OBSERVATIONSOBSERVATIONSRECORD YOUR OBSERVATIONS,
KEEP A RECORD OF WHAT YOU SEE AS YOU PERFORM YOUR EXPERIMENT
CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONSANALYZE WHAT YOU OBSERVED.
ANSWER WHETHER OR NOT YOUR OBSERVATIONS PROVED OR DISPROVED YOUR HYPOTHESIS ANDY WHY.
THIS ALSO INVOLVED SHARING YOUR FINDINGS.
INFERENCEINFERENCETHIS IS WHEN WE COME TO A
CONCLUSION BASED ON OBSERVATIONS
VARIABLEVARIABLEANY PART OF AN EXPERIMENT
THAT CAN CHANGE
CONTROLLED VARIABLECONTROLLED VARIABLETHE PARTS WHICH ARE NOT
BEING TESTED. THESE VARIABLES MUST STAY THE SAME.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE OR INDEPENDENT VARIABLE OR EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLEEXPERIMENTAL VARIABLETHE PART WHICH IS BEING
TESTED. THE VARIABLE WHICH IS CHANGED BY THE SCIENTIST.
DEPENDENT VARIABLEDEPENDENT VARIABLETHE PART OF THE EXPERIMENT
THAT STAYS THE SAME, OR IS AFFECTED BY THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
CONTROLLED CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTEXPERIMENTAN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH TWO
SUBJECTS OR GROUPS HAVE ALL VARIABLES IN COMMON EXCEPT ONE, WHICH IS THE VARIABLE BEING TESTED
CONTROL GROUPCONTROL GROUPTHE GROUP WHICH DOES NOT HAVE THE VARIABLE BEING TESTED
EXPERIMENTAL GROUPEXPERIMENTAL GROUPTHE GROUP WHICH HAS THE
VARIABLE BEING TESTED
TOMORROW WE ARE STARTING A PLANT EXPERIMENT. BE PREPARED TO GET YOUR HANDS A LITTLE DIRTY!
PLANT EXPERIMENT FOR PLANT EXPERIMENT FOR CLASSCLASSOVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WE
WILL BE CONDUCTING OUR OWN EXPERIMENT, LIKE TIM AND MOBY DID.
WE WILL TEST A FEW THINGS◦HOW MUCH LIGHT DOES THE PLANT
NEED?◦WILL IT SURVIVE ON SALT WATER? WITH
NO WATER?◦HOW MUCH DOES FERTILIZER HELP?◦WHAT ABOUT A DRINK WE DRINK?