Scientific Investigation Vocabulary

Hypothesis

a testable prediction of what will happen in a scientific investigation

Independent Variable

variable manipulated or change by the scientist

—only 1

—1st change in the experiment

—an amount or type change

--only 1

--1st change in an experiment

--look for amount or type changes

Dependent Variable

variable that is measured or observed

—results; outcomes

—data; measurements; observations

--results

--data

--measurements

Repeated Trials

number of times an experiment repeated

Control Group

the part of the experiment used to COMPARE experimental data

Constant

parts of the experiment that are the SAME

Scientific Theory

a well-tested concept that explains a wide range of observations

Scientific Law

a rule that describes a pattern in nature

--a lot have math equations to explain the pattern

ex. Newton's Second Law F=ma

Observation

getting information using your 5 senses

QuaLitative Observations

Observations that use words or descriptions

L="looks like

QuaNtitive Observations

Observations that have numbers, amounts, or measurements

N=numbers

Inference

An interpretation of information using observations

--what "I think" is happening

--everyone can have a different opinion

Graph

a visual representation of data