Unit 1 Lesson 1 - The Nature of Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts, principles, and terms from Unit 1 Lesson 1 on The Nature of Science.

Science

A process and a body of knowledge that deals only with the natural world and proposes explanations based on evidence.

Data

Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis.

Fact

An objective, verifiable observation, such as water boiling at 100 degrees Celsius.

Law

A broad concept or principle, such as Newton's Laws of Motion or the Law of Conservation of Mass.

Theory

A tested, highly-reliable scientific explanation of events in the natural world that unifies many repeated observations and incorporates durable, well-supported hypotheses that enable scientists to make accurate predictions.

Scientific Method

The five-step method used by scientists to collect and organize information: 1. observing and asking questions, 2. forming hypotheses, 3. conducting controlled experiments, 4. collecting and analyzing data, 5. drawing conclusions.

Observation

A description of something you can see, smell, touch, taste, or hear that must be objective and NOT an opinion.

Inference

A guess about an object or outcome based on your observations.

Hypothesis

A testable prediction based on observations that describes a cause and effect relationship between variables, often written in the format 'If (IV) then (DV)'.

Independent Variable (IV)

What the experimenter will deliberately change or manipulate in the experiment; usually plotted on the x-axis of a graph and should be the only difference between test subjects.

Dependent Variable (DV)

What changes in response to the independent variable; represented by the data collected in an investigation and usually plotted on the y-axis of a graph.

Constants

The aspects of an experiment that are held constant or consistent across all test subjects.

Experimental Group

The test subject that receives a special treatment related to a variation in the independent variable.

Control Group

The test subject that is exposed to the same conditions as the experimental group except for changes in the independent variable, receiving no special treatment.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data obtained by counting or measuring.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive data that involves characteristics that cannot be measured.

Peer Review

A process where scientific papers submitted to journals are evaluated by independent, anonymous reviewers working in the same field to check for mistakes, oversights, unfair influences, or fraud.