Vocabulary Study Guide for Scientific Process
Independent Variable: The variable you change on purpose
Dependent Variable: The variable that changes as a result of what you changed.
Hypothesis: A prediction about how the independent variable will affect the dependent variable.
If…., then…
Constant: The thing(s) in an experiment that are kept the same.
Control: The standard for comparison in an experiment; often the group that receives no amount of the
independent variable, but can also be chosen to be the comparison group (or normal).
Repeated Trials: The number of experiment repetitions or objects/organisms tested.
Qualitative: descriptive terms used to describe an object or an event (Quality)
Quantitative: numerical description of an object or event (Quantity)
Observation: discovering a problem to solve
Research: an optional part of the scientific process
Record: writing the data down that you collected
Conclusion: Your decisions about your experiment. If your hypothesis was correct, then you can publish
your work. If your hypothesis was incorrect, you would need to reconstruct your experiment.
Optional Questions to further thinking--What was the dependent variable in the Straw Tower Lab?
What was the independent variable in the Water Tube lab?