Nature of Science

Which statement best identifies why scientific models are used to understand, predict, and test ideas in science?

• Models are used to learn about objects or ideas that can be observed and tested.

• Models are used to learn about and observe objects or ideas that are too large or small to be observed and tested.

• Models are used to make a physical representation of an object.

• Models are used to make a better object or idea.

Which of the following is NOT a rule when writing a hypothesis?

• It is a biased prediction

• It is an if/then statement

• it should restate the question

• It is testable

Which of the following best describes how scientific theories change?

• Scientific theories do not change when new evidence is discovered.

• Scientific theories are revised when more experiments and evidence is discovered.

• Scientific theories are revised based upon researchers guessing they are wrong.

• Scientific theories are revised because scientists don’t want to research them.

Which of the following is an example of pseudoscience?

• Gravity

• Alchemy

• Astronomy

• Chemistry

Which question would be the best high level scientific question?

• Who made the first microscope?

• How long ago did dinosaurs live on the Earth?

• Does the amount of salt in water affect the temperature at which it boils?

• How many giraffes live in Africa?

Tony tested his science experiment, using 5 different trials, his experiment was then tested by other very famous scientists. Which best describes why his experiment is valid?

• Tony used constants in his experiment to control the results

• Tony conducted his experiment using independent and dependent variables.

• Tony repeated his trials and other scientists replicated his experiment.

• Famous scientists tested his experiment.

Maria is conducting a science experiment using hoop gliders. In her hoop glider experiment she records the distance and time that her hoop glider flies each time she tests it. What type of data is she recording?

• Quantitative data

• Qualitative data

• Written data

• Observation data

Which of the following hypotheses is written correctly?

• If I freeze a tennis ball, it won’t bounce.

• If I heat up a tennis ball to 100 degrees celsius, it will bounce high.

• If a tennis ball is cooled to 32 degrees celsius, then it bounce 10m higher than the control.

• Frozen tennis balls will not bounce 10m higher than the control.

A scientist hypothesizes the the temperature at which an alligator's egg is incubated will determine whether the alligator will be male or female. The independent variable is

• the temperature

• the male alligators

• the incubator

• the gender of the alligator

A scientist conducted an experiment to determine how the amount of salt in a body of water affects the number of plants that can live in the water. In this experiment the independent variable is:

• the temperature of the water

• the number of plants in the water

• the water

• the amount of salt in the water