NOS Science Vocab

Science

the investigation and exploration of natural events and of the new information that results from those investigations

Observation

the results of using one or more of your senses to gather information and taking note of what occurs

Inference

a logical explanation of an observation that is drawn from prior knowledge or experience

Hypothesis

a possible explanation for an observation that can be tested by scientific investigation

Prediction

a statement of what will happen next in a sequence of events

Scientific Theory

an explanation of observations or events that is based on knowledge gained from many observations and investigations

Scientific Law

a rule that describes a repeatable pattern in nature

Technology

the practical use of scientific knowledge, especially for industrial or commerical use

Critical Thinking

comparing what you already know with the information you are given in order to decide wheather you agree with it

Description

a spoken or written summary of observations

Explanation

an interpretation of observations

Internation System of Units (SI)

the internationally accepted system of measurements

Scientific Notation

a method of writing or displaying very small or very large values in a short form

Percent Error

the expression of error as a percentage of the accepted value

Variable

any factor that has more than one value

Constant

the factors in an experiment that do not change

Independent Variable

the factor you want to test

Dependent Variable

the factor you observe or measure during an experiment

Experimental Group

is used to study how a change in the independent variable changes the dependent variable

Control Group

contains the same factors as the experimental group, but the independent variable is not changed

Qualitative Data

uses words to describe what is observed

Quatitative Data

uses numbers to describe what is observed