Transcript Basic Terms
Science Basics
Getting a Handle on Some
Terminology
Fact or Belief?
• Fact – specific statement about of
substance or process that can be
verified
Sodium is a reactive metal.
Sulfur is yellow.
Iron rusts.
Fact or Belief?
• Belief – statement that may be true but
cannot be verified at present
All electrons look alike.
The Sun will rise tomorrow.
As scientific belief is based on substantial
evidence that predicts a likely outcome or
situation.
Law
• Law - generalized statement of a
relationship between variables in a
system based on repeated
experimentation; can be used to predict
behavior of a system
As the temperature of a gas increases, its
volume increases.
Hypothesis or Theory?
• Hypothesis – possible action and/or
explanation for a behavior or an
observation; must be tested through
experimentation
Increased temperature will speed up the
dissolving of a salt in water.
Hypothesis or Theory?
• Theory – generalized explanation for
observations based on repeated
experimentation or observations
Behavior such as expansion with heat or
increased pressure with decreasing
volume is a result of particles that are
far apart and moving rapidly
Scientific Method
Make an observation that raises a
question
State a question
Determine a possible reason for the
observation or relationship between
variables
Pose a hypothesis
Design and carry out an investigation
to prove or disprove the hypothesis
Do an experiment
Scientific Method
Compile information from the
experiment and decide if the
hypothesis was correct
Analyze/Make a conclusion
If the conclusion or experimental
process raises other questions, start
the process again.
Scientific Method
• Understand variables:
– Independent variable = one changed by the
experimenter
– Dependent variable = one that changes as a
result of a change in the independent
variable
– Controlled variable = any property that is
not being investigated and must remain the
same during the experiment
Scientific Method
Make an observation that raises a question.
Do birds prefer red or blue bird
feeders?
Determine a possible reason for the
observation.
Pose a hypothesis.
Birds prefer to eat from red feeders
rather than blue feeders.
Design and carry out an investigation to prove
or disprove the hypothesis
Determine the variables:
Independent = color of the feeder
Dependent = # of birds at the feeder
Scientific Method
Determine the variables:
Controlled = type of feeder, type of
food, time of day recorded, height of
feeder, location of feeder…
Set up 3 blue and three red identical
bird feeders. At a set time each day
for 10 days, record how many birds are
at each feeder. Record data in a
suitable table.
Scientific Method
Compile information from the experiment.
Analyze the data. Make a bar graph of
the number of birds at each color
feeder for each day.
Decide if the hypothesis was correct.
Make a conclusion
The birds prefer a red feeder over a
blue feeder.