FSA Nature of Science

What is an CONSTANT or CONTROLLED Variable, or CV?

• the ONE thing we change on purpose when designing an investigation

• the results of the change we made with our independent variable; what we MEASURE; can be quantitative and/or qualitative data
  

• these are the ways we change our independent variable

• these are the conditions that stay the same in order to have a “fair” investigation.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Why is it important for scientific procedures to be extremely detailed?

• So Mrs. Engler knows what you're actually doing

• So another scientist could replicate your experiment if they wanted to

• Because scientists love details

• So that every step is accounted for and documented

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS2-5

A student is investigating how compost can increase the size of vegetables grown in the garden. To test this, two separate gardens will be grown that are almost identical. The only difference will be that one plot will use regular soil and the other will use compost enriched soil. What is the dependent variable in this investigation?

• compost enriched soil

• quality and size of vegetables

• two garden plots

• water supply

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

John and Emily were experimenting with the effects of road salt on plant growth. To do this, they watered plants daily with the same amount of salt water. They could BEST improve their experiment by ___.

• watering half the plants with pure water and half with salt water

• adding food color to see how far the salt penetrates the plants

• cooling the salt water before watering the plants

• increasing the amount of salt added to the water each day

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

James is conducting an experiment to test the effect of insecticides on frogs. What is the control group in his experiment?

• The frogs that were NOT exposed to the insecticides.

• The frogs that were exposed to 15 mL of insecticide.

• The frogs that were exposed to 30 mL of insecticide.

• The frogs that did not survive the experiment.

A student is conducting an experiment on the movement of a marble through five different substances. The student knows that is takes an average of 0.9 seconds for a marble to move through 80 mL of water. What is the control in the experiment?

• Water

• Corn Syrup

• Milk

• Olive Oil

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

A group of scientists genetically engineered a type of bean plant so it was naturally resistant to insect pests.  Which of these was most likely part of their original definition of the problem they wished to solve?

• Keep insects away from where people live

• Grow bean plants with less water

• Use fewer chemicals pesticides

• Store beans longer without fear of spoilage

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS3-1

NGSS.MS-LS4-4

What is the primary purpose of a hypothesis in scientific research?

• To provide a summary of the research findings

• To offer a detailed explanation of the research methods

• To propose a testable prediction based on observations

• To list all variables involved in the experiment

Tags

NGSS.HS-PS1-2

Which of the following best describes a scientific theory?

• A hypothesis that has been proven true

• A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world

• An educated guess based on limited evidence

• A collection of data from experiments

In an experiment, why is it important to have a control group?

• To ensure that the experiment is conducted ethically

• To provide a standard for comparison against the experimental group

• To increase the sample size of the experiment

• To eliminate the need for repeated trials