process of science

Science

The process of learning about the world by observing, experimenting, and thinking logically.

The scientific method

A step-by-step process used to answer questions and test ideas.

Hypothesis

An educated guess about what will happen in an experiment.

Falsification

The idea that a hypothesis or theory can be shown to be wrong through evidence.

Theory

A well-supported explanation of something based on a lot of evidence and experiments.

Law

A statement that describes a natural phenomenon that always happens under certain conditions, often expressed mathematically.

Independent variable

The factor you change or manipulate in an experiment.

Dependent variable

The factor you measure or observe, which depends on the independent variable.

Standardized variable

Things that stay the same in all parts of the experiment to keep it fair.

Experimental group

The group that gets the treatment or change you're testing in the experiment.

Control group

The group that doesn’t get the treatment, used to compare with the experimental group.

Positive control

A group or condition expected to give a positive result, making sure the experiment works.

Negative control

A group or condition that should show no effect, used to see what happens without any treatment.

Analysis

The process of looking at the experiment data to understand what happened.

Conclusion

A decision made after reviewing the data to see if the hypothesis was correct or not.

What are the main steps of the scientific method?

1. Ask a question; 2. Do background research; 3. Form a hypothesis; 4. Design an experiment; 5. Conduct the experiment; 6. Analyze the data; 7. Draw a conclusion; 8. Share results.

What does it mean to falsify a hypothesis?

To show that the hypothesis is wrong by providing evidence or conducting an experiment that disproves it.