Hon. Biology Unit 2: Got Caffeine?

observation

observation

An observation is statement describing a fact. You often use your five senses to become aware of an observation.

inference

A conclusion that is reached based on an observation or given evidence.

hypothesis

a testable statement that may include a prediction (MUST INCLUDE A DEPENDENT AND INDEPENDENT VARIABLE)

dependent variable

what you observe or measure

independent variable

what you control

experimental group

The group that is given the independent variable in an experiment.

control group

The group that is not exposed to the experimental treatment. It is used to show how the subjects perform when they don't receive the independent variable.

constant

something that stays the same in both groups. It is used to limit variations caused by factors other than the independent variable.

qualitative data

Information describing the qualities of objects observed, but not measured

quantitative data

Information obtained by counting or measuring (basically anything to do with numbers)

statistically significant

an observed effect so large that it would rarely occur by chance

Abotic

Non-living

Biotic

living

science

A way of learning about the natural world

falsifiable

able to be disproven by experimental results

testable

a hypothesis is testable if it can be supported or rejected by experiments or observational studies

peer review

a review by people with similar professional qualification

Difference between observation and inference

An observation is something you observe while an inference is why you think something is happening because of your prior knowledge about the subject.

Caffeine

a stimulant drug found in coffee, tea, cola drinks, chocolate, and many over-the-counter medications

Limitation

A flaw in experimental design that limits apply the results to other scenarios

Validity

The ability of a test to measure what it is intended to measure

Char. of science

• Evidence to construct testable explanations/predictions of natural phenomena

• Process of asking questions about natural world

• Science is always changing