5 th Grade Science Variables Unit Vocabulary
1 )pendulum - A mass hanging from a fixed point that
is free to swing to & fro.
2 )cycle - any motion or activity that repeats itself, i.e., the back & forth motion of a pendulum, a bicycle wheel going around, an insect like a
butterfly, a hula hoop, ...
3 )variable - a CONTROLLED variable is something that could be changed in an experiment; any factor in an experiment that you change (manipulate) that makes a difference in the results of an experiment; is anything that you can change in an experiment that
might affect the outcome
4 )standard – A standard is the basic procedure used in a controlled experiment before changing any of the variables.
5 )experiment - an investigation that tries to solve a
question or hypothesis
6 )controlled experiment - a safe investigation that has specific variables where only ONE of the variables is changed
7 )two-coordinate graph - a graph with both an x-axis
(the horizontal line/side-to-side) & a y-axis (the
vertical line/up & down)
8 )x-axis - the horizontal line on a graph, a.k.a.
MANIPULATED(CHANGED) VARIABLE

9 )y-axis - the vertical line on a graph, a.k.a. THE
OUTCOME(RESPONDING) VARIABLE
10 )system - The way something is designed to work; any objects or organisms that function to work together successfully; examples: a car, a computer, a solar system, a pencil, a pendulum, a piano, a terrarium,
a raccoon, ...
11 )independent variable(x-axis) – This is the manipulated variable (changed variable) in a controlled experiment. It is usually a number.
12 )dependent variable(y-axis) – It is NOT one of the controlled variables. This is the variable that gives us the outcome (the results) in a controlled investigation. It is usually a number.
13 )capacity – how much something can hold, is usually a measured liquid like water and in milliliters; can be described as how much its “limit” might be, i.e.,
mass or number of passengers, etc.
14 ) prediction – an educated guess that tells the
possible outcome or result; a hypothesis
15 )mass – the weight of something usually in grams,
i.e., centigrams, kilograms, or milligrams
16) buoyancy – the ability to float or rise in a fluid or gas
17) Averages like mean, median, & mode.