Scientific Method Vocabulary

Anything you can see, smell, taste, touch or hear

• observation

• inference

• hypothesis

• theory

A conclusion you can make based on observations

• inference

• observation

• hypothesis

• law

An educated guess of what you think will happen

• hypothesis

• theory

• law

• inference

Information gathered during an experiment

• data

• control group

• independent variable

• constants

Data that is descriptive (red, fuzzy, sour)

• qualitative

• quantitative

Data that is numerical (12in, 65 degrees)

• quantitative

• qualitative

Able to be observed and measured - what a hypothesis MUST be

• testable

• non-testable

The most reliable place for accurate information

• scientific journal

• textbook

• newspaper

• wikipedia

All the things that stay the same during an experiment

• constants

• independent variables

• dependent variables

• data

The group that does NOT receive any treatment during the experiment

• control group

• experimental group