EARTH SCIENCE (2010) - Scientific Investigation Vocab

independent variable (IV)

variable that "I" have control over, that "I" change/manipulate and test

dependent variable (DV)

the variable the scientist measures as a result of the experimental /manipulated variable

constant

factor that is kept the same for all groups in an experiment

control

part of the experiment that doesn't get exposed to the independent variable; it is the standard that is used for comparison between subjects receiving treatment and those receiving no treatment

hypothesis

- a suggested solution to a problem

- must be testable

- predicts an outcome

- sometimes written as "If [independent variable] then [dependent variable]"

mass

a measure of the amount of material in a substance; measured in grams

volume

a measure of the amount of space an object takes up; measured in mL (using water displacement) or cm3 (using ruler)

density (definition)

a measure of how much mass is in a given volume of space; measured in grams per milliliters

variable

something that changes in an experiment in order to test a hypothesis

used to measure the mass of an object

Scale

used to measure volume of an irregular shaped object

graduated cylinder

Density (formula)

density = mass divided by volume

how to read a graph

1) Read the title

2) Notice the scales on the axes (how much each part increases by)

3) Labels on the axes

scientific method

experiment

a scientific procedure used to make a discovery, test a hypothesis or demonstrate a known fact; should have limited variables and a constant to ensure the validity of results

density and floating

for an object to float, it's density must be less than the liquid in which it is put