Nature of Science

Science

A human endeavor, empirical process, and evidence-based way of knowing.

Human endeavor

Hard work, clever thinking, and strong determination used by people to reach a big goal

Empirical

originating in or based on observation or experience (it can be seen or felt)

Evidence-based

doing something based on real facts and careful science testing, instead of just using old habits, guessing, or personal feelings.

The Scientific Method

a step-by-step process used to explore observations, test ideas, and answer questions about the natural world

Scientific question

A question about nature that you can test, measure, and answer by doing experiments or watching what happens.

Background research

reading books and articles to learn what other scientists have already discovered.

Hypothesis

an educated guess that explains why something in nature happens, and you can test it with an experiment to see if it is correct

Experiment

a controlled, methodical test designed to evaluate a specific hypothesis

Variable

things that can change during an experiment

Independent Variable

What the person doing the experiment changes (example: adds or removes water from a plant growth experiment)

Dependent Variable

What changes in the subject of the experiment (example: the plant is the subject and grows bigger or smaller based on the amount of water)

Controlled Variable

Things that are kept the same during an experiment (example: all the plants in an experiment are given the same amount of sunshine and kept in the same type of pot)

Procedure

The materials (physical objects used) and methods (what is done with the physical objects) of an experiment

Data

recorded facts from an experiment—such as measurements, numbers, and observations

Observation

gathering of information from an experiment using the senses or scientific tools

Qualitative

Observations describing qualities or characteristics using senses (example: color, texture)

Quantitative

Observations using measurements with numbers, usually produced by scientific tools (example: 32 degrees F, 14cm long)

Results

the specific findings, data, and measured outcomes obtained from conducting an experiment (example: the plants grew higher with a medium amount of water)

Peer-review

the process where experts in the same scientific field evaluate a researcher's study, methods, and results before it is published in a journal

Replicability

different scientists doing their own experiments to answer the same question and getting the same answer every time. This shows the results are reliable.

Scientific Theory

a well-tested, broad explanation for a wide range of natural phenomena, backed by a large body of evidence (example: why gravity makes things fall)

Scientific Law

a rule in nature that always describes what happens under the same exact conditions (example: gravity makes things fall)

Bias

a flaw in the study design or the method of collecting or interpreting information (example: if the tools were faulty, or the scientists only recorded good results)