Biology Final: Chap. 1 Scientific Method

What are the steps of the scientific method?

1. Make an observation that leads to a question

2. Form a hypothesis

3. Design a controlled experiment

4. Collect data

5. Analyze data

What is the difference between an independent vs. dependent variable

The variable you change in an experiment (ex. amount of sunlight for a plant)

The observation/response to the change/independent (ex. how much the plant grows)

What is the difference between a control vs experimental group?

Has all the variables as the experimental but no independent variable (receives no change, is kinda what you compare to)

Has all the same as the control but gets the independent variable

What is a controlled experiment?

only ONE variable is changed. That way you can see what is making the difference.

(Ex. you can't change the amount of water a plant receives and the amount of sunlight because you won't know which affects the growth)

What is the format for a hypothesis?

IF i/do change this .... THEN this will happen

What are controls/constants?

Variables that stay the same between control and experimental groups

What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data?

Numbers (weight, measure, etc)

Descriptive (colors, shapes, etc)

What is a hypothesis?

A testable observation/question

What is a theory?

well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations.

Explains why/how something is happening and it has many hypothesises to support it