Chapter 1: About Science

Physics is the most basic science because

• all of these

• it is about the nature of basic things like forces, energy, and motion.

• the ideas of physics extend into more complex sciences.

• you can better understand science in general if you understand physics.

• the foundation of biology is chemistry and the foundation of chemistry is physics.

Which one of the following problems would NOT be a part of physics?

• Identifying all the bones in a human body

• Calculating the average density of a person

• Calculating the amount of energy a person uses while listening to a lecture

• Calculating the instantaneous velocity of an accelerating car

• Identifying all the forces acting on a person who is walking uphill

Which one of the following steps is NOT a part of the scientific method?

• Repeat the experiments until the answers match the predictions.

• Perform experiments to test the predictions.

• Formulate a general rule based on the predictions and experimental outcome.

• Make a guess about the answer to a problem and predict its consequences.

• Recognize a problem.

A hypothesis is

• an educated guess that has yet to be proven by experiment.

• the long side of a right triangle.

• close agreement by competent observers of observations of the same phenomena.

• a guess that has been tested over and over again and always found to be true.

• a synthesis of a large collection of information that includes guesses.

A theory is

• a synthesis of a large collection of information including well-tested guesses.

• an educated guess that has yet to be proven by experiment.

• close agreement by competent observers of observations of the same phenomena.

• a guess that has been tested over and over again and always found to be true.

• a science story about atoms and molecules.

The difference between a hypothesis and a theory is that a hypothesis is

• an educated guess whereas a theory has been tested successfully many times in many ways.

• never true whereas a theory is always true.

• true where as a theory is not true.

• an isolated fact whereas a theory is a huge collections of facts.

• never true whereas a theory is sometimes true.

In which step of the scientific method do you test the hypothesis?

• Observe
• Experiment
• Analyze
• Conclude

How many variables are tested in a controlled experiment?

• one
• two
• three
• several

Which of the following terms refers to factors that remain the same in all groups?

• Constants
• Dependent variables
• Exemplars
• Independent variables

Which of the following terms refers to the variable that is measured or recorded as the results of the experiment?

• Experimental Controls
• Test Controls
• Dependent Variable
• Independent Variable