Scientific Inquiry Review

A hypothesis is...

• information you get from your 5 senses

• a prediction about what will happen in an experiment

• an organized process to test a prediction

• a judgement based on the results of the experiment

A hypothesis should...

• show the results of the experiment written as a question

• show the results of an experiment written as a statement

• be a prediction about an experiment written as a question

• be a prediction about an experiment written as a statement

Which of the following is the best hypothesis?

• Will more light make a plant grow more?

• What will make a plant grow more?

• If a plant gets light.

• If a plant gets more light, then it will grow more.

How many independent variables should you test the effect of in an experiment?

• Only 1 independent variable

• 2 independent variables

• Multiple independent variables

• Not every experiment has an independent variable

A student wondered if butterflies would show any differences in their wing color if they were kept in the dark or in bright light as caterpillars. Which statement could be a hypothesis the student could write?

• Caterpillars exposed to bright light will have more colorful wings when they become butterflies than caterpillars kept in the dark.

• Will caterpillars kept in the dark have more colorful wings when they become butterflies than caterpillars exposed to bright light?

• Ten caterpillars will be kept in the dark and ten caterpillars will be exposed to bright light and allowed to develop into butterflies.

• Results show that caterpillars kept in the dark and those exposed to bright light had the same wing color when they developed into butterflies.

What is the independent variable in an experiment?

• what we measure in an experiment

• what we keep constant in an experiment

• what we change/control in an experiment

• what we observe in an experiment

What is the dependent variable in an experiment?

• what we measure in an experiment

• what we keep constant in an experiment

• what we change/control in an experiment

• what we observe in an experiment

What is the experimental group in an experiment?

• the group that has the independent variable changed

• the group that does not receive the independent variable or is in "normal" condition

• what we change/control in an experiment

• what we keep constant in an experiment

What is the control group in an experiment?

• the group that has the independent variable changed

• the group that does not receive the independent variable or is in "normal" condition

• what we change/control in an experiment

• what we keep constant in an experiment

Which lab tool would you use to measure the mass of an object in grams?

• Graduated cylinder

• Metric ruler

• Triple-beam balance

• Microscope