Scientific Method Study Guide

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Scientific Method Study Guide Terms you need to know: Hypothesis – an educated guess about the relationship between the variables you are testing - a prediction about the outcome of an experiment - must be testable - written in an “if, then, because” format Independent Variable – the variable that is purposefully changed by the experimenter Dependent Variable – the variable that responds to the change (the outcome) - what you measure or observe to obtain your results Constants – all factors that remain the same and have a fixed value in an experiment Procedure – a detailed set of instructions (step by step) which clearly describes how the experiment is to be done Observations – what the experimenter sees, hears, feels, smells, or tastes - may be quantitative – amounts, such as mass, volume, length, time, etc. - may be qualitative – descriptive words, such as color, shape, texture, etc. Data – measurements that the experimenter makes during the experiment Conclusion – the statement that sums up what you learned from the experiment Control – a duplicate setup of the experiment you are performing that is used for comparison. Everything is identical except for the variable you are testing. Make sure you know the difference between an observation (fact) and an inference (opinion). Also, know the difference between a qualitative and quantitative observation. Be prepared to pick out the independent and dependent variables if given a hypothesis. Example: If I add more salt to water, it will take longer to freeze, (because salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes) The independent variable is the amount of salt added to the water. The dependent variable is the amount of time it takes the water to freeze. Be prepared to identify the constants in an experiment. Example: In the above experiment (adding salt to water) the following variables would be examples of constants: - the temperature of the water that you begin the experiment with - the size of the container the water is in - the amount of water - the material the container is made of Be prepared to explain why it is important to only change one variable in an experiment.

Scientific Method Study Guide – revised 7 October 2014 by B. Ferri