Nature of Science - Data Day

Students look out a window for 5 min. They record the number of vehicles that pass, the type of vehicle (car, pickup truck, motorcycle, and so on), and the color of the vehicle. What are the students doing?

• Concluding

• Experimenting

• Predicting

• Observing

Luca read about droughts, in which the rainfall is significantly lower than average. He has noticed that it has not rained much in his area this month. How could he collect data to find out if his area is experiencing a drought?

• He could compare the rainfall to other cities.

• He could measure the standing water on the ground.

• He could measure the rainfall every day for a month and compare those     measurements to the average rainfall for that month.

• He could measure the temperature each day for a month and compare those      measurements to the average temperature for that month.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ESS2-4

Elena is planning an experiment. These are the procedures, or setups, she plans to use. Which part of her plan will make it difficult for Elena to draw a valid conclusion?

• She is testing more than one variable.

• She is using identical flowerpots

• She did not include a prediction of what will happen. 

• She should use bean seeds rather than bean seedlings

A scientist conducts an investigation that measures the effect of speed on stopping distance. The scientist displays the information in the graph below. Which of the following statements best explains the results shown?

• Speeds above 80 km per hour have shorter stopping distances.

• Speeds below 48 km per hour have longer stopping distances. 

• The faster the speed, the longer distance it takes to stop. 

• The slower the speed, the longer distance it takes to stop.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

 Leon likes doing science experiments. However, he could not understand why the directions said to repeat the experiment three times. Why do scientists repeat their experiments?

• To avoid making observations

• To throw out the information they collected earlier

• To develop a new procedure that they can use later

• To make sure the information they collect is reliable

Scientists always develop a plan when they try to learn something about our natural world. Which sequence correctly shows the steps scientists follow in their plan?

• make observations, develop an idea, obtain evidence, suggest an explanation

• obtain evidence, suggest an explanation, develop an idea, make observations

• suggest an explanation, obtain evidence, make observations, develop an idea

• develop an idea, suggest an explanation, obtain evidence, make observations

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-1

Jose wants to create an excellent science fair project for the school competition. In order for his project to be valid, which of the following must happen?

• The project must include his beliefs

• The results must be based on evidence

• The project must prove his predictions correct

• The results must be based on personal opinion

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Which of the following statements about science is true?

• Science always contains the opinions of the investigator

• Science proves the predictions of scientists to be correct

• Science is based on observation or measurement that answers a question

• Science answers all questions using strict rules called the scientific method

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

Vanka compared the water temperature in two beakers placed on different colors of paper. He found the temperature was higher in the beaker placed on dark paper. Connie repeated Vanka’s experiment and got different results. Which statement describes what most likely happened? 

• Vanka is right, and Connie is wrong.

• Connie is right, and Vanka is wrong.

• One student made a mistake recording the data.

• One student did not follow established safety procedures.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-4

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

Sometimes scientists replicate the research of other scientists. Which of the following most likely is the reason scientist replicate the research of others?

• to form new theories

• to improve the research

• to win prizes for their work

• to verify that the work is accurate