Science Chapter 1 - Vocabulary

Chemistry

It’s the study of matter and the changes it undergoes

Matter

Anything that takes up Space and has mass

Worldview

The perspective form which a person sees and interprets all of life

quantitative data

Data in the form of words that is used to describe something

Qualitative data

data in the form of numbers that is determined through measuring

Model

Workable explanation, description, or representation of a phenomenon

Presuppositions

Assumption about the world. The total of a persons presuppositions forms the basis of his worldview

Naturalism

A worldview that is based on belief that matters is all that exists and that human reasoning informed by science is the only reliable path to truth

Hypothesis

a testable explanation for a phenomenon that forms the basis for scientific inquiry

Scientific Inquiry

The process by which scientist answers scientific questions; also known as the scientific method.

Scientific survey

A process that involves randomly selected representative samples from a larger population

Peer review

The process of having other scientist review scientific work by which the research is evaluated

Theory

A scientific model that explains a phenomenon

Applied Science

Using science to solve real world problems

Pure Science

Using science to understand how and why things work

Ethical Triad

Deductive Reasoning

Reasoning that proceeds from general statements called premises to a specific conclusion

Inductive Reasoning

Reasoning that proceeds from known data to an unknown general conclusion

Operational science

Knowledge acquired by methods that involve real time observations of present day phenomena or first person observations of events in the past

Historical Science

Knowledge acquired by making inferences about events and processes in the past, based on observations of evidence in the present

Experiment

An orderly process to observe the phenomenon, ideally under controlled conditions

Controlled experiment

An experiment in which only one condition changes at a time

Variables

Factors that change

Independent variable

The variable in a controlled experiment that is Purposefully changed by the scientists

Dependent variable

The variable in a controlled experiment that changes in response to variations in the independent variable

Experimental group

The group of samples exposed to the independent variable

Control group

The group of samples not exposed to the independent variable

Empirical science

Science that is based on data gathered from observations or an experiment

Trials

repeated experiments using multiple samples; more trials provide more Conclusive results

Natural experiments

An experiment in which scientist cannot control the conditions

Theory

A scientific model that explains a phenomenon

Law

A scientific model that describes a phenomenon often in mathematical terms