Transcript Scientific Method vocabulary

Scientific Method
A series of steps designed to
solve a problem or learn more
about the world around you.
Experiment
A
procedure
carried out to
test a hypothesis
Purpose
 The
goal or
question of the
experiment
What temperature of
water will make a denture
tablet dissolve faster?
Independent Variable
changed on purpose
 The “cause”
 There can only be one IV
 The temperature of water that you
put the denture tablet in

Dependent Variable
What happens in the experiment
 A measurement (specific data)
 The “effect”
 This is a result of changing
the independent variable.

How many minutes it takes for the denture
tablet to dissolve

Control
Part of the experiment that is
used as a comparison to see
if there was an effect

Examples: putting a denture tablet in
room temperature water (normal conditions)
Hypothesis

An educated guess about the outcome of
an experiment.
If (independent variable is changed) then
(this is how the dependent variable will
change).
 If the temperature of water increases then
the denture tablet will dissolve faster.

Constants

Things that are kept the same.

Needed so that we get accurate
results and only have one IV.
For the denture tablet experiment:
Same amount of water
Same brand of denture tablet
Same size beaker or container
Procedure

A series of steps in the
experiment.

Should be able to repeated by
more than one person
Repeated Trials

Doing an experiment
more than once

Necessary to check for
accurate results
Do we get the same
results each time?

Conclusion

A final statement that
compares the data to
the hypothesis

Describes the results
of the experiment
Example #1
Will a plant grow taller if it is given more fertilizer?
What is the independent variable?
Example #1
Will a plant grow taller if it is given more fertilizer?
What is the independent variable?
IV = Amount of fertilizer
Example #1
Will a plant grow taller if it is given more fertilizer?
What is the dependent variable?
Example #1
Will a plant grow taller if it is given more fertilizer?
What is the dependent variable?
DV = How tall the plant grows
Example #1
Will a plant grow taller if it is given more fertilizer?
What are 3 constants for this experiment?
Example #1
Will a plant grow taller if it is given more fertilizer?
What are 3 constants for this experiment?
1. Kind of plant
2. Amount of soil
3. Amount of water