Scientific Method Vocabulary

Scientific Method - a method of problem solving involving observation to test a hypothesis Hypothesis - an educated guess that answers your question Experiment - testing an idea or hypothesis through a controlled investigation Control - a standard against which other conditions can be compared in an experiment Variable - the factor being tested Observation - the act of making and recording measurements; the act of noticing or paying attention Inference - drawing a conclusion or making a logical judgment on the basis of observations Data - a collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn Scientific theory - a coherent group of propositions or descriptions formulated to explain a group of facts or phenomena in the natural world and repeatedly confirmed through experiment or observation and accepted by the majority as fact. Scientific law - a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature; accepted as true throughout the scientific community Dependent variable - or responding variable the outcome factor; the variable that may change in response to manipulations of the independent variable Independent variable - or manipulated variable, the experimental factor that is manipulated; the variable whose effect is being studied Procedure - a set sequence of steps to complete an experiment to answer a question Analysis - the abstract separation of a whole into its constituent parts in order to study the parts and their relations to better understand the whole. Evidence - is observable clues and data that can be used to prove or disprove something Placebo - an innocuous or inert medication; given as a pacifier or to the control group in experiments on the efficacy of a drug Technology - is using the science of machines to solve a problem or create a product. Prediction - a statement made about the future based on experience or observations. Nature - the entire physical universe Measure - to compare the characteristics of something with a standard Science - is the study of nature and the physical world using the scientific method Revise - to alter something already written or printed, in order to make corrections, improve, or update