8th Grade Science – Unit 1: The Nature of Science
Name:_____________________________________________________________
Science is the systematic ____________ of _______________ events and conditions. Three areas of
science - ____________, _________, and ___________________.
Experiments are conducted to ______ something under ________________ conditions.
Experiments are kept reliable by controlling the variables, doing repeated trials, and
keeping accurate records of results.
Hypothesis: a _______________ idea or explanation that leads to a ___________ __________________. If
a hypothesis isn’t supported by the data of an experiment, it’s ok! Experiments that prove
hypotheses wrong are just as ______________. A hypothesis should be testable so that
scientists can find out if it is ________.
Independent Variable –the part of an experiment that is deliberately ________________ or
changed. If an experiment has too many IND Variables, it becomes difficult to explain why
the results happened.
Dependent Variable changes as a result of _______________ the independent variable.
(Dependent variable is usually what is measured and the _________ collected). Yes – DEP
Variable will usually change
Constant: The parts of the experiment that stay the ______________ throughout.
Control Group: the “______________” group that the results are compared to
Variables that can affect the outcome of the experiment are kept constant, except the ones
you want to measure.
Empirical Evidence includes observations and _______________ – data taken from the
experiment
An Observation is the process of obtaining ____________________ by using the ____________.
Observations are not always controlled. They are important because scientists aren’t
always able to create experiments, some things just have to be observed. Observations can
be qualitative (sensory) or quantitative (using numbers).
An Inference is a _____________________ conclusion drawn because you have prior
__________________ or experience with that particular observation.
Pseudoscience is a process of investigation that resembles ________________, but does not
follow scientific __________________. An example of pseudoscience is astrology.
The scientific method is
a guideline. Not all
experiments follow
these steps identically
and in the same way!
Most importantly,
science must test
questions, have
multiple trials, and
must collect data under
controlled situations.
These are the most
important aspects of
reliable science!
What happens if the
data from your
experiment does not
match your hypothesis?
Make a new one! Form
a new hypothesis, plan
a new experiment, and
try again!
Why is it important for
scientists to be
unbiased when
investigating their
theories?
Why do scientists repeat trials during an experiment?
When scientists obtain new information, what happens to an existing scientific theory?
What must happen before a scientific explanation is widely accepted?
Models help scientists explain certain phenomena. What makes a good model?
This is a data table. Tables organize data into columns and rows.
Year
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
1990
1999
2009
Average price of a new car
$640
$850
$1,510
$2,600
$3,900
$7,210
$16,000
$21,100
$28,000
Scientists make graphs from data tables. Turn this data into a line graph:
What conclusion can be made from this data?
This is a bar graph.
What was the increase in the number of female athletes from 2006 – 2007?
The line graph below shows the average annual salary at a company over a nine-year period.
How much greater was the average salary in 2007 than in 2008?
This is a pie chart that shows how a city’s budget is allocated.
If the city spends $200,000 on government
operations, approximately how much does
it spend on community development?
The students in Mrs. Dhaibar’s science class take a test. The results of the test are shown in the table
below.
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Percentage of students who earned this grade
25%
25%
35%
10%
5%
Mrs. Dhaibar creates a pie chart to display this data.
Which grade does the shaded region correspond to?