Scientific Models

A representation that explains how something is built or works

• design
• model
• black box
• collaboration

Which of these is not a model?

• hot wheels/match box car
• action figure doll
• dump truck
• a picture of the inside of humdinger

What is 2D and cannot be manipulated but still explains how something looks or works?

• globe
• skeleton
• conceptual model
• physical model

Sal is studying the solar system. He makes a physical model using different-sized foam balls to represent the planets. Which best describes why a physical model is a useful tool for studying the solar system?

• Solar system models can be used to study a system that is too big to study directly.
• A model of the solar system eliminates the need for scientists to study the solar system directly.
• A model of the solar system provides an exact replica of the actual solar system, so scientists can experience what each planet is like.
• A model of the solar system can provide more data about the solar system than direct observations.

Facts, figures and other evidence collected

• Pie
• Cake
• Math
• Data

A _____________________ is something that scientists use to represent an object or process

• mass
• matter
• model
• weight

What is the SI unit for mass?

• meter
• liter
• gram
• kelvin

When scientists create a representation of a complex process, they are:

• inferring
• predicting
• classifying
• making models

A kilogram is equal to _______ grams?

• 10
• 100
• 1000
• 10000