Scientific inquiry

What is scientific inquiry?

• The process of publishing research findings in scientific journals.

• The steps and strategies used to investigate a topic, question, problem, or issue of a scientific nature.

• The practice of organizing data into charts and graphs for analysis

• The method of creating hypotheses without conducting experiments.

Tom decided to investigate how the amount of sunlight affects the growth of bean plants. He grew one group of plants in full sunlight, another group in partial sunlight, and a third group in complete darkness. He measured the height of the plants every week.

What type of scientific inquiry is Tom conducting?

• Descriptive

• Comparative

• Experimental

Answer explanation

This is an experimental inquiry because Tom is manipulating a variable (amount of sunlight) to study its effect on plant growth.

• He is also controlling other factors, such as using the same type of plants, soil, and water, to isolate the effect of sunlight on plant growth (dependent variable).

• This deliberate manipulation and control of variables make it an experimental inquiry.

Sarah wanted to determine which type of soil—clay, sandy, or loamy—retains the most water. She measured the amount of water drained from each soil type after pouring 100 mL of water into them.

What type of scientific inquiry is Sarah conducting?

• Descriptive

• Comparative

• Experimental

Answer explanation

• Sarah is comparing the natural water retention of different soil types (clay, sandy, and loamy).

• She is not actively changing or manipulating any factors; she is observing and comparing pre-existing properties of the soils.

• Comparative inquiries generally do not have a "manipulated variable"; they focus on finding differences between groups or conditions.

Alice explored the different types of birds that visited her backyard over a week. She recorded the species of each bird and noted its color, size, and behavior.

What type of scientific inquiry is Alice conducting?

• Experimental

• Comparative

• Descriptive

Answer explanation

This is a descriptive inquiry because Alice is observing and recording detailed information about the birds without comparing groups or manipulating variables.

What type of question is typically used in scientific inquiry?

• Broad and philosophical

• General and open-ended

• Complex and hypothetical

• Specific and testable

What are the three types of variables in a scientific investigation?

• Independent, Dependent, and Constant

• Manipulated, Responding, and Controlled

• Experimental, Theoretical, and Practical

• Observational, Controlled, and Measured

What is the purpose of an inference statement in scientific inquiry?

• To outline the steps of the experiment

• To generalize the knowledge to other contexts

• To organize data into charts and graphs

• To explain a reasonable cause for the findings