Nature of Science Florida

Wildlife biologists are working to save unique birds in Florida's forests.

Which of these questions ​MUST be answered first to determine how the birds can be protected for future generations?

• What kinds of industries are likely to develop in the area?

• How far can the birds migrate?

• How many people live in the area?

• What do the birds need in order to survive and reproduce?

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-8

John performed an experiment. He feels that replicating his results will increase the validity of his results. Which of the following is an example of replication?

• another student copying John's experiment without permission

• John redoing his own experiment to check for validity

• another student redoing John's experiment to check for validity

• John researching another scientist's experiment for similarities

A scientist has a hypothesis involving the genes of two spotted lizard breeds. He believed that small spots are dominant. He also believed that if a lizard with small spots bred with a lizard with large spots, the offspring would have small spots. He designed an experiment to determine whether his hypothesis was correct.

After he completes his experiment, which of the following additional steps would have the GREATEST impact on strengthen his ideas?

• He should repeat his experiment at least one more time before sterilizing his equipment.

• He should take lizards to a wildlife sanctuary and release them.

• He should send his results to another scientist to look over.

• He should repeat his experiment; then have someone else replicate his experiment.

Sandy is conducting an experiment to see if the grades of dancers are better than the grades of baseball players. She organizes the dancers into group A and the baseball players into group B. She records the grades and makes the conclusion that the dancers have overall better grades.

Is Sandy correct in her statement that this is an experiment?

• Sandy is correct. This is an experiment because she obtained the grades and compared the groups.

• Sandy is incorrect because she did not test anything; so this is an observation.

• Sandy is incorrect because she did not collect the data accurately; so this is an observation.

• Sandy is correct because she organized the students into two groups.

What is the term "empirical evidence" used to describe?

• It describes information gained by direct observation of an event.

• It describes cause and effect relationships.

• It describes events that are know by their one-time occurrence.

• It describes ideas based on inferences from observations.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-1

Unprotected exposure to the sun’s rays is a factor in the development of skin cancer.

Which of the following is an example of empirical evidence that supports this hypothesis?

• An advertisement for a sun block product that claims it protects skin against ultraviolet rays by a certain percentage.

• Data showing a relationship between the amount of sun exposure and the odds of getting skin cancer.

• A skin cancer survivor's recollection that he had a bad sunburn as a child.

• A model of a skin cell showing where DNA is in the cell.

Spontaneous generation was an idea that living things appear from nonliving things. This was disproved by Louis Pasteur's experiment using bacteria to demonstrate bacteria comes from existing bacteria.

What is this an example of?

• A scientific theory

  changes as an organism evolves.

• Changes cannot be made

  because it is a scientific law.

• Scientific knowledge changes as new evidence is discovered by experiments.

• Bacteria have been observed and modified many times.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS2-6

Models of atoms have changed many times as scientists continued to study them. After many experiments throughout history, the model has been changed to what we know today.

Why was the model of the atom changed?

• Scientific experiments cannot disprove the current model of the atom.

• The atomic model was modified as new evidence was encountered.

• Scientists still cannot agree on a correct model for an atom.

• Scientists continue to discover new atomic elements but the model of the atom has not changed.

Why are scientific theories an important part of research and understanding?

• Scientific theories can be used as support for a scientist's prediction.

• Scientific theories allow scientists to make assumptions.

• Scientific theories determine what subjects scientists can research.

• Scientific theories determine what scientists agree about laws.

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS4-2

When discussing the theory of atoms, a model is the only option. Why is this true?

• Atoms are too expensive to collect for scientific use.

• An atom is too dangerous to handle in a lab setting.

• An atomic model is easier to manipulate than a real atom.

• An atom is too small to be observed in detail with current technology.

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-8