Fundamentals of Scientific Methodology

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Science is an organized way of observing and asking questions about the natural world.

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Science involves systematic observation and inquiry.

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The goal of science is to provide natural and testable explanations for events in the natural world.

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Science aims to explain natural phenomena.

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A theory in science is a tested, highly-reliable scientific explanation of events in the natural world.

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Scientific theories are well-supported explanations.

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A scientific theory unifies many repeated observations and incorporates durable, well-supported hypotheses.

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Theories integrate multiple observations and hypotheses.

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Observation is a key component of scientific methodology.

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Observations form the basis of scientific inquiry.

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Inference is a logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience.

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Inferences are drawn from observations.

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A controlled experiment is an experiment in which only one variable is changed.

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Control is essential for valid experimental results.

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An independent variable is the variable that is deliberately changed in an experiment.

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It is the factor being tested.

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A dependent variable is the variable that is observed and changes in response to the independent variable.

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It is the outcome being measured.

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A control group is exposed to the same conditions as the experimental group except for one independent variable.

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Control groups are essential for comparison.