Nature of Science Summative 1

Which of the following is NOT a quantitative observation?

• Red flower

• Twenty rabbits

• Squared plastic four legs table

• Four doors file cabinet

James is testing golf balls. He drops three different brands of balls from 40cm and measures how high they bounce. He drops each ball 10 times.

• Repetition

• Replication

Which best describes an experiment?

• A scientist measures the width of a certain type of maple leaf throughout a forest.

• A scientist measures the speed at which a cheetah travels while it is hunting.

• A scientist measures the height of roses in a lab that receives different fertilizers.

• A scientist measures the rate at which a population of wild geese reproduces.

Lilliam wants to test the effect of light on the direction a plant’s leaves would grow. She conducts an experiment for this purpose. She video records each step of her experiment. Her friends want to replicate the experiment. What would help them replicate the experiment correctly?

• Read an article about how light affects plant growth.

• Talk to Lilliam’s teacher about Lilliam’s results.

• Imagine how they would do the experiment differently.

• Watch Lilliam’s video before conducting their own experiment.

The air conditioning in Sophia’s science classroom was not working in the month of August. She recorded the air temperature each afternoon and made a graph to show her principal. The average temperature was 86 degrees Fahrenheit. What type of observations was she making?

• Qualitative

• Quantitative

The following statements were taken from the procedures of four different investigations. Which investigation is an example of repetition?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

What is the mass on the triple beam balance?

• 310.4g

• 300.4g

• 311.4g

• 314g.

What should you do first when using a triple beam balance?

• Move all riders to the middle of the beam.

• Adjust the pointer to zero.

• Place the object on the pan.

• Slide the riders to estimate the mass.

What mass does the object have?

• 0.9g

• 105.9g

• 5.9g

• 6.4g.

Matching: Match each term with its description below.

• observation

• the variable in an experiment that is manipulated or changed by the investigator.

• inference

• the act of using your senses to record data about what occurs.

• test variable (independent variable)

• a logical conclusion based on available information or evidence.

• outcome variable (dependent variable)

• a statement about what will happen next in a sequence of events.

• prediction

• the factor that is measured during an experiment.