Scientific and Engineering Practices Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key scientific method concepts, experimental variables, data types, and engineering practices.

Science

A body of knowledge that uses evidence to learn about the natural world by gathering and organizing information and proposing testable explanations.

Observation

The process of taking data on what you see, hear, or smell to begin scientific inquiry.

Data

The information and results gathered from observations and experiments.

Quantitative Data

Data that is measurable and expressed in numbers, such as length, time, or counts.

Qualitative Data

Data that is descriptive and observable through the senses, such as color, texture, or smell.

Inference

A logical interpretation or conclusion based on prior knowledge or experience.

Hypothesis

A proposed scientific explanation or testable educated guess about cause-and-effect relationships, usually written in an if-then format.

Prediction

An educated guess of what you expect to see as a result of an experiment or observation.

Independent Variable

The factor in an experiment that is deliberately changed or manipulated on purpose by the experimenter. “I, the scientist, change the independent variable”

Dependent Variable

The factor that is observed and measured to see how it changes in response to the independent variable. The scienist observes the dependent variable to see what will happen.

Constant/ Control Variables

A factor that must be kept the same during an experiment to ensure it does not accidentally affect the results.

Trial

A single repetition of an experimental procedure.

Model

A representation created by scientists to describe, explain, or share their findings.

Engineering Design

The process of using scientific knowledge to solve problems by developing and testing objects, tools, processes, and systems.

Experimental Design Diagram

A organizer used to list and structure details of an experiment, including the title, hypothesis, independent variable, levels of the independent variable, number of trials, dependent variable, and constants.