SCIENCE 8
MS. ETRI
TOPIC 1: SCIENCE AS A PROCESS
WHAT IS SCIENCE? Science is both a ______________________________ and a methodical
_____________________________________.
WHAT IS AN OBSERVATION?

Any information collected with the _____________________________.

We also use scientific tools to make observations (taking measurements with a meter stick,
thermometer, balance, microscope).

Tools enhance our observations.

Observations are _________________________________.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES:

QUALITATIVE: observations that
__________________________,
properties or characteristics of
objects.
o Think “QUALITY”
o Examples:
_____________________
______________________________________________.

QUANTITATIVE: observations that can be measured in numbers.
o Think “QUANTITY”
o ______________________________________________.
o Examples: ____________________________________________________________.
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SCIENCE 8
WHAT IS AN INFERENCE?
MS. ETRI

A conclusion based on an ___________________________.

A logical interpretation also based on prior knowledge.
EXAMPLES
OBSERVATIONS
INFERENCES

That plant is extremely wilted.
 That plant is extremely wilted due to a
lack of water.

The car stopped running.
 The car stopped running because it
was out of gas.

The Mets are leading their division.
The Mets are leading their division
because they have won more games
than they have lost.
SO HOW DO SCIENTISTS LEARN NEW THINGS ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD?
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD / PROCESS!
Note: Although there are “steps” to the
scientific method, scientists do not follow
the scientific method in a linear way. It is
often an ongoing, continual process where
scientists will revisit many of these steps
multiple times and in different sequences in
an attempt to carry out their investigation.
However, for the purpose of the NYS
Assessment, it is important to know the
order of the “steps.”
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SCIENCE 8
MS. ETRI
“STEPS” OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD/PROCESS

ASK A QUESTION

GATHER INFORMATION

MAKE A HYPOTHESIS
o A hypothesis is an ___________________________________ that can be tested.

It is a possible answer to a scientific question.

It is based on logical reasoning, research and experience.
o It is NOT “just a guess”.
o Made in an if-then statement in the present tense.

DESIGN & CARRY OUT THE EXPERIMENT
o An experiment is a procedure designed to test
the hypothesis.
o Experiments must include a

________________________- group in
which all conditions are kept the same.
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SCIENCE 8

MS. ETRI
___________________________________ -test group in which all conditions
are kept the same except for the single condition being tested.

COLLECT DATA/ ANALYZE RESULTS
o Data is collected by making observations using your senses or by using tools.
o Data can ________________________________________ a hypothesis.

A rejected hypothesis can lead to a new hypothesis and additional experiments.

For this reason, hypotheses can be valuable even when they do not support the
initial hypothesis.
o Organized in a table.
o A ________________
is an important initial
stage in making sense
of the information you
will collect while doing
an experiment.
o Data is turned into graphs to interpret trends and patterns.
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SCIENCE 8
 MAKE A CONCLUSION
MS. ETRI
o A conclusion is an ______________________ of what the results of an experiment
show.
o A good conclusion states what relationship exits between the variables examined in the
experiment.
o It should also indicate whether or not the data support the hypothesis.

COMMUNICATE YOUR RESULTS!
PARTS OF A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT
CONSTANTS: factors that are kept the same in an experiment and are not allowed to change.
VARIABLES: factors in an experiment that can change.
Ex: equipment used, type of material, amount of material,
temperature, light and time.
I.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
(_________________________________):
________________________________________________________________________

Can have different levels (ex. Temperature can be cold, warm hot; amount of substance
can be low, medium, high).

II.
Whatever you are testing is the independent variable. “I” change it.
DEPENDENT VARIABLE (____________________________):
_______________________________________________

It is the part of the experiment we are trying to measure (our data!)
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SCIENCE 8
MS. ETRI
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: ________________________
DEPENDENT VARIABLE: __________________________
CONSTANTS: ____________________________________
SUMMARY AND PRACTICE
A scientist conducts an experiment to test the effect of light on plant growth. In each experiment,
three plants of the same variety are each given 10mL of water. One plant is exposed to full sunlight
for 8 hours, one is exposed to full sunlight for 4 hours, and one plant is kept in a dark room. Plant
height is measured after two weeks. What is the independent variable in this experiment?
a. soil volume
b. amount of sunlight
c. plant height
d. amount of water
Which of the following is the group in an experiment in which all conditions are kept the same?
a. standard
b. independent variable
c. experimental
d. control
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