Nature of Science (p.8-15)

What is Science?

• an explanation about how things work; a body of evidence that has been collected; a way of learning about nature

• learning about animals

• doing experiments

• forming opinions based on what you see

What do scientists use to build scientific knowledge?

• data

• evidence

• inferences

• all of the above

How do scientists gather evidence?

• they work in teams to figure things out

• they look in books

• by conducting investigations, making observations, and looking for patterns

• working in a lab

What is evidence?

• a factor that can be changed

• An observation that supports an idea or conclusion

• parts of an experiment

What is an inference?

• parts of an experiment that a scientist uses

• the way evidence looks

• when you use what you know and what you observe to draw a conclusion

What is a variable?

• a factor that can change or be controlled in an experiment, investigation, or model.

• evidence from observations

• an investigation to prove why something happens

• curiosity and creativity

Why do scientists control variables in an experiment?

• to understand how things work

• to make it interesting

• to find out how the variables are related

• to view parts of an experiment separately

In an __________, you change only one variable, measure or observe another variable, and control other variables so they stay the same.

• experiment

• variable

• inference

• evidence

When you carry out a plan to answer a question

• hypothesis

• investigation

• experiment

• variable

In science, a _________ is used to explain or predict phenomena and can show how a process works in real life.

• investigation

• inference

• variable

• model