SCIENTIFIC METHOD VOCABULARY

ASK A QUESTION/RESEARCH WHICH OBJECT WILL HIT THE GROUND FIRST, A HAVEY METAL BALL OR A LIGHT WOODEN BALL?? WHAT HAVE OTHER SCIENTISTS LEARNED ABOUT THIS TOPIC?

HYPOTHESIS A 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.

PROCEDURE STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT

OBSERVATIONS RECORD YOUR OBSERVATIONS, KEEP A RECORD OF WHAT YOU SEE AS YOU PERFORM YOUR EXPERIMENT

CONCLUSIONS ANALYZE WHAT YOU OBSERVED. ANSWER WHETHER OR NOT YOUR OBSERVATIONS PROVED OR DISPROVED YOUR HYPOTHESIS ANDY WHY. THIS ALSO INVOLVED SHARING YOUR FINDINGS.

INFERENCE THIS IS WHEN WE COME TO A CONCLUSION BASED ON OBSERVATIONS

VARIABLE ANY PART OF AN EXPERIMENT THAT CAN CHANGE

CONTROLLED VARIABLE THE PARTS WHICH ARE NOT BEING TESTED. THESE VARIABLES MUST STAY THE SAME.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE OR EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLE THE PART WHICH IS BEING TESTED. THE VARIABLE WHICH IS CHANGED BY THE SCIENTIST.

DEPENDENT VARIABLE THE PART OF THE EXPERIMENT THAT STAYS THE SAME, OR IS AFFECTED BY THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT AN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH TWO SUBJECTS OR GROUPS HAVE ALL VARIABLES IN COMMON EXCEPT ONE, WHICH IS THE VARIABLE BEING TESTED

CONTROL GROUP THE GROUP WHICH DOES NOT HAVE THE VARIABLE BEING TESTED

EXPERIMENTAL GROUP THE 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 CLASS OVER 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?