SCIENTIFIC SCIENTIFIC METHODMETHOD

VOCABULARY

ASK A ASK A QUESTION/RESEARCHQUESTION/RESEARCHWHICH OBJECT WILL HIT THE

GROUND FIRST, A HAVEY METAL BALL OR A LIGHT WOODEN BALL??

WHAT HAVE OTHER SCIENTISTS LEARNED ABOUT THIS TOPIC?

HYPOTHESISHYPOTHESISA SHORT STATEMENT THAT SAYS

WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AND WHY. THE MORE SPECIFIC THE BETTER!

EXAMPLE: THE METAL BALL WILL HIT THE GROUND FIRST BECAUSE IT IS HEAVIER.

PROCEDUREPROCEDURESTEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS ON

HOW TO PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT

OBSERVATIONSOBSERVATIONSRECORD YOUR OBSERVATIONS,

KEEP A RECORD OF WHAT YOU SEE AS YOU PERFORM YOUR EXPERIMENT

CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONSANALYZE WHAT YOU OBSERVED.

ANSWER WHETHER OR NOT YOUR OBSERVATIONS PROVED OR DISPROVED YOUR HYPOTHESIS ANDY WHY.

THIS ALSO INVOLVED SHARING YOUR FINDINGS.

INFERENCEINFERENCETHIS IS WHEN WE COME TO A

CONCLUSION BASED ON OBSERVATIONS

VARIABLEVARIABLEANY PART OF AN EXPERIMENT

THAT CAN CHANGE

CONTROLLED VARIABLECONTROLLED VARIABLETHE PARTS WHICH ARE NOT

BEING TESTED. THESE VARIABLES MUST STAY THE SAME.

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE OR INDEPENDENT VARIABLE OR EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLEEXPERIMENTAL VARIABLETHE PART WHICH IS BEING

TESTED. THE VARIABLE WHICH IS CHANGED BY THE SCIENTIST.

DEPENDENT VARIABLEDEPENDENT VARIABLETHE PART OF THE EXPERIMENT

THAT STAYS THE SAME, OR IS AFFECTED BY THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE

CONTROLLED CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTEXPERIMENTAN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH TWO

SUBJECTS OR GROUPS HAVE ALL VARIABLES IN COMMON EXCEPT ONE, WHICH IS THE VARIABLE BEING TESTED

CONTROL GROUPCONTROL GROUPTHE GROUP WHICH DOES NOT HAVE THE VARIABLE BEING TESTED

EXPERIMENTAL GROUPEXPERIMENTAL GROUPTHE GROUP WHICH HAS THE

VARIABLE BEING TESTED

TOMORROW WE ARE STARTING A PLANT EXPERIMENT. BE PREPARED TO GET YOUR HANDS A LITTLE DIRTY!

PLANT EXPERIMENT FOR PLANT EXPERIMENT FOR CLASSCLASSOVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS WE

WILL BE CONDUCTING OUR OWN EXPERIMENT, LIKE TIM AND MOBY DID.

WE WILL TEST A FEW THINGS◦HOW MUCH LIGHT DOES THE PLANT

NEED?◦WILL IT SURVIVE ON SALT WATER? WITH

NO WATER?◦HOW MUCH DOES FERTILIZER HELP?◦WHAT ABOUT A DRINK WE DRINK?