Scientific Inquiry

You are doing an experiment recording the growth of plants under different amounts of sunlight. What is the dependent variable?

• The sunlight
• The growth
• The experiment
• The amounts of photons

A variable that never changes is known as a 

• constant
• independent variable
• dependent variable
• control

When scientists group information into categories, they are

• analyzing

• classifying

• making models

What inference might a scientist make if she observed and increase in her energy after eating an afternoon snack?

• the afternoon snack had energy that transformed into energy her body could use

• the afternoon snack was candy

• the afternoon snack did nothing for her, it just was the feeling of being nearly finished with her work.

These kind of observations are made using instruments such as rulers, balances and thermometers.

• Qualitative
• Quantitative
• Scientific

Tags

NGSS.5-PS1-3

The leaf is 5mm wide.

• Qualitative
• Quantitative

The temperature of the room is decreasing by 4 degrees Celsius.

• Qualitative
• Quantitative

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

The liquid is a pink color.

• Qualitative
• Quantitative

Tags

CCSS.L.1.6

CCSS.L.3.6

CCSS.RL.1.4

Your teacher has asked you to explain the difference between quantitative and qualitative observations. Which statement is correct?

• Quantitative observations use numbers, qualitative uses the senses.
• Quantitative observations use the senses, qualitative uses numbers.
• Quantitative observations use measurement, qualitative uses numbers.
• Quantitative observations use colors, qualitative uses the senses.

Tags

CCSS.RI.4.10

CCSS.RI.5.10

CCSS.RI.6.4

CCSS.RI.7.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

a researcher sorts test tubes into categories based on the materials they contain

• observing

• classifying

• analyzing