Nature of Science

What is the first thing you should do in order to conduct the experiment safely?

• obtain and open the materials described in the experiment
• mix your materials
• read over the lab and be sure you understand the directions.
• begin to work right away

Which of the following might lead to the changing of a scientific idea?

• A scientist describes an experiment to a group of students
• A scientist gets the same results when repeating an experiment a second time
• a scientist gets results that do not fit a current idea and other scientists find his results are valid
• a scientist has to redo her experiment because she finds the correct procedure was not followed

What skill are you using when you see a red spot on a desk.

• observation
• posing a question
• classifying
• hypothesis

There is a mysterious liquid on your desk you should

• clean it up
• tell the teacher
• go to the office
• tell you neighbor

When using the scientific method, the problem is written as a(n)

• explanation
• statement
• question
• essay

I am conducting an experiment to determine if the amount of fertilizer used on a field effect the number of earthworms found there?  What is a control variable for this experiment?

• number of earthworms
• soil type
• amount of fertilizer

During a scientific investigation which step will a scientist likely perform first?

• form a conclusion
• experiment
• define the problem

I want to see how the amount of water affects plant growth.  What is the independent variable?

• amount of water
• plant growth
• type of plant
• soil type

A testable idea or explanation that leads to a scientific investigation is called (can be stated as an if/ then statement)

• conclusion
• experiment
• hypothesis

The variable that stays the same

• independent
• dependent
• control