bio lab skills vocab

experimental question

you are trying to answer this with your experiment

independent variable

the part of the experiment controlled or changed by the  experimenter

dependent variable

the part of the experiment that changes because of the independent variable, you observe or measure this part to collect data

control variable

part of the experiment that remains the same throughout to prevent affecting the outcome

qualitative observation

use words to describe something’s appearance such as color or texture

control group

part of the experiment that is used as the standard of comparison, in the “natural” state (the one group you don't apply the Independent Variable to)

quantitative observation

use numbers to describe information about an object such as mass, length, or volume

hypothesis

An if--then-because statement that takes your experimental question and then answers the question and adds a scientific reason why this the if-then happens.

experimental group

the group in the experiment that is receiving the variable being tested (or receiving the independent variable

replicates (or n)

the number of people (in this case) or objects in each trial or study