Science Inquiry Skills

Question 1

what is an investigation?

Answer 1

when scientists use both first and second hand data to reach conclusions about things in the world

Question 2

what is an experiment?

Answer 2

testing a hypothesis under controlled conditions to find out if it is true

Question 3

what is the scientific method?

Answer 3

a way of asking and answering questions based on observations.

Question 4

the scientific method diagram

Answer 4

ask a question/make an observation - background research- hypothesis- conduct an experiment- analyse results and make a conclusion- is the hypothesis supported? yes- communicate results. no- go back to hypothesis, make new one.

Question 5

what has to be considered when developing a testable question?

Answer 5

useful topic, make sure resources are available, able to be measured, adresses the aim

Question 6

what is a variable?

Answer 6

a factor that may vary the outcome of an experiment

Question 7

what is a fair test?

Answer 7

an experiment in which only one variable is tested at a time and includes only one independent variable

Question 8

whats the independent variable?

Answer 8

the variable being intentionally changed to test its effect on the dependent variable

Question 9

whats the dependent variable?

Answer 9

the variable being measured, changes according to the independent variable

Question 10

what are controlled variables?

Answer 10

variables that are kept constant to ensure a fair test

Question 11

what is a hypothesis?

Answer 11

an educated guess on the outcome of an experiment based on evidence and prior knowledge

Question 12

what does the hypothesis identify?

Answer 12

the change in the independent variable and the expected change in the dependent

Question 13

what is an inference?

Answer 13

a logical idea from an observation as to why the observation happens

Question 14

what is a hazard?

Answer 14

anything that could cause harm

Question 15

what is a risk assessment?

Answer 15

it identifies hazards, finds their likelihood, finds ways to reduce danger

Question 16

what should you do whilst identifying risks?

Answer 16

consider the working environment, how youre using the equipmeng, materials being used, how they’ll be displosed of and clothing being worn

Question 17

what are the 3 ways chemicals can enter the body?

Answer 17

ingestion, inhalation and absorption.

Question 18

whats ingestion?

Answer 18

the chemical enters through the mouth and enters the bloodstream

Question 19

whats inhalation?

Answer 19

breathed in, enters bloodstream through crossing the cell layer of the alveoli

Question 20

whats absorption?

Answer 20

passes straight through skin

Question 21

what should be done when working with any chemical?

Answer 21

identify chemical codes and dangers, read sds, protective clothing, wipe spills, wash hands, store properly

Question 22

what do all hazardous chemicals have?

Answer 22

HAZCHEM codes

Question 23

what does each hazchem sign have?

Answer 23

a distinctive colour, symbol and number

Question 24

what are safety data sheets?

Answer 24

contains safety and first aid information about every chemical substance

Question 25

what does an sds state?

Answer 25

name of chemical, names of its ingredients, properties, health hazard information, precautions, manufacturer or importers details

Question 26

what is something considered unethical in the laboratory?

Answer 26

experimenting on humans with new drugs

Question 27

what are ethics to consider when experimenting with animals?

Answer 27

reduce number of animals used, replace by simulation, treat with care and respect, their welfare, refine experiment

Question 28

what has to be done when experimenting on humans?

Answer 28

details confidential, told the aim to give consent, agree to participate

Question 29

what are 3 things to consider when designing an experiment?

Answer 29

how will the independent variable be changed?, how will the dependent be measured?, how will the others be controlled?

Question 30

what does a fair test ensure?

Answer 30

that the results either support or refute the hypothesis

Question 31

whats the experimental group?

Answer 31

the group with the change in the independent being applied.

Question 32

whats the control group

Answer 32

the group without the change in the independent variable applied.

Question 33

when is an experiment reliable?

Answer 33

when the results can be reproduced multiple times

Question 34

how can reliability be improved?

Answer 34

by repeat trials and replication

Question 35

what are repeat trials?

Answer 35

doing the same experiment many times to ensure results reproduce

Question 36

whats replication?

Answer 36

conducting the experiment more than once at the same time

Question 37

how do you know when there have been uncontrolled variables?

Answer 37

there are significant differences in results

Question 38

whats a procedure?

Answer 38

a list of detailed steps written in past tense

Question 39

whats the data?

Answer 39

the results collected for the dependent variable

Question 40

what are the 2 firms of quantitative data?

Answer 40

continuous and discontinuous

Question 41

what are ways to present data?

Answer 41

tables, graphs, flow charts, pictures, diagrams

Question 42

what graph is good for discrete data?

Answer 42

column graph

Question 43

what graph is good for continuous data?

Answer 43

line

Question 44

what are descriptive statistics?

Answer 44

they are used to summarise, organise and describe data

Question 45

what is central tendency?

Answer 45

single values that allow you to describe a central position in a data set

Question 46

whats percentage change?

Answer 46

increases and decreases relative to the control group or starting point

Question 47

calculation of percentage change

Answer 47

final- original/original X 10

Question 48

whats percentage difference?

Answer 48

a measure of the precision of 2 measurements

Question 49

percentage difference calculation

Answer 49

measurement 1 - measurement 2/avg of measurements

Question 50

whats uncertainty?

Answer 50

a realistic range in which the true value is likely to be

Question 51

uncertainty calculation

Answer 51

range/ 2 (mean= value +_ value)

Question 52

what are systematic errors?

Answer 52

errors due to the way the experiment is designed

Question 53

what are random errors?

Answer 53

unpredictable errors that can occur in any experiment

Question 54

what does a discussion include?

Answer 54

explains results and their significance, support our refute hypothesis, what they mean, if question answered, new questions, design defects

Question 55

what are ethics?

Answer 55

a list of principles that can judge your actions as moral or not

Question 56

whats objective?

Answer 56

free of personal bias

Question 57

whats subjective?

Answer 57

influenced by personal views

Question 58

whats an observation?

Answer 58

something that had been noticed through the use of the 5 senses

Question 59

whats an outlier?

Answer 59

an abnormally high or low value in a data set

Question 60

whats processed data?

Answer 60

data that has been manipulated

Question 61

whats a risk assessment?

Answer 61

a systematic way of identifying potential risks

Question 62

whats a theory?

Answer 62

a scientific explanation supported by the experiment results obtained so far

Question 63

whats validity?

Answer 63

how well an experiment adheres to being a fair test