Introduction to Physical Science
Vocabulary for Chapter 1 /SOL PS1
What is Physical Science?
• Answer= The study of matter and energy, and
the changes that happen to matter and
energy
Scientific Theory
•A well tested idea that explains and
connects many observations
Big Bang Theory
• Based on research performed by Edwin Hubble, Georges Lemaitre and
Albert Einstein, among others, the big bang theory postulates that the
universe began almost 14 billion years ago with a massive expansion event.
Archimedes' Buoyancy Principle
• After he discovered his principle of buoyancy, the ancient Greek
scholar Archimedes allegedly yelled out "Eureka!" and ran naked
through the city of Syracuse. The discovery was that important.
The story goes that Archimedes made his great breakthrough
when he noticed the water rise as he got into the tub
• According to Archimedes' buoyancy principle, the force acting
on, or buoying, a submerged or partially submerged object
equals the weight of the liquid that the object displaces
Evolution and Natural Selection
• Populations of organisms developed different traits, through mechanisms
such as mutation. Those with traits that were more beneficial to survival
such as, a frog whose brown coloring allows it to be camouflaged in a
swamp, were naturally selected for survival; hence the term natural
selection.
• It's possible to expand upon both of these theories at greater length, but
this is the basic, and groundbreaking, discovery that Darwin made in the
19th century: that evolution through natural selection accounts for the
tremendous diversity of life on Earth.
Observation
•The process of gathering information
using the five senses
Independent Variable
aka= Manipulated Variable
•The variable a scientist changes in an
experiment!!!!!
Dependent Variable
aka= Responding Variable
• The variable that is expected to change
because of the independent variable changes
Inference
•A logical interpretation of an observation
Scientific Inquiry
• Various methods of investigating and
answering scientific questions
Data
•Facts, figures, and other evidence
gathered through observation
Hypothesis
• A testable explanation for observations
relating to a scientific question
Classifying
• Process of grouping together items that are
alike in some way
Quantitative Observation
• Deals with numbers or amounts
Qualitative Observation
• Deals with descriptions that cannot be
expressed in numbers.
Predicting
• Process of forecasting what will happen in the future
based on past experience or evidence
• Example-Most of us will try to predict the outcome of a
movie!
• Scientist will predict that a certain drug can reduced a
cancer tumor
Analyzing
• Evaluating observations and data to reach a
conclusion
Skepticism
• Attitude of having doubt
Pseudoscience
• Set of beliefs that make use of science but whose
conclusions and predictions are not based on
observation, objective reasoning, or scientific evidence.
Astrology is a pseudoscience
Objective Reasoning
• Relies on gathering and evaluating evidence
Subjective Reasoning
• Reasoning that is based on personal feelings or personal
values
Empirical evidence
• Data that is collected using scientific process that
describe particular observations
Controlled Experiment
• An experiment in which one variable is manipulated at a
time
Bias
• Subjective belief that affects a person’s attitude toward
something; an error in the design of an experiment that
affects the results of an experiment
Repeated trial
• Repetition of an experiment to gather data and
determine whether the experiment’s results support the
hypothesis
replication
• An attempt to repeat a scientist’s experiment by
different scientist or a group of scientist
Evidence
• Includes observations and conclusions that have
been repeated
Opinion
• Idea about a decision that is not supported by evidence