The Nature of Science

What do we mean when we say a fact must be objective?

• It must be unbiased

• It must be testable

• It must be observable

• It must be accomplished

What is the difference between a scientific law and a scientific theory?

• A law is a prediction, a theory is an explanation

• A law is a fact but a theory is not

• A law is used in Physics, a theory is used in Biology

• A law is more scientific than a theory

A conclusion formed based on observation is called a...

• Theory

• Fact

• Inference

• Hypothesis

Which type of observation involves numbers?

• Qualitative Observation

• Quantitative Observation

• Scientific Observation

• Theoretical Observation

How is precision different from accuracy?

• Precision measures consistency, accuracy measures correctness

• Precision measures quantities, accuracy measures qualities

• Precision measures correctness, accuracy measure consistency

• Precision measures qualities, accuracy measure quantities

What statement about hypotheses is FALSE?

• A hypothesis must always be an "If...then..." statement

• A hypothesis includes independent & dependent variables

• A hypothesis describes a cause & effect relationship

• A hypothesis is an educated guess that must be correct

The independent variable...

• Is graphed on the Y-axis

• Is the "effect" of the experiment

• Applies to the control group only

• Is what we are testing in the experiment

The dependent variable...

• Is graphed on the X-axis

• Is what the experimenter will change or manipulate

• Is what the experiment is measuring

• Works independently of the IV

What is the purpose of a control group?

• To establish a "normal" baseline

• To differentiate between your experimental groups

• To make your experiment more precise

• To keep things the same between trials

Which is NOT a reason to have repeated trials in an experiment?

• To ensure the results are not due to chance

• To eliminate any errors

• To ensure data is precise

• To ensure data is accurate