7. Summary and Vocabulary

Summary

  • Science is a way of learning about the natural world that is based on evidence and logic.
  • The goal of science is to understand how and why things happen.
  • Science advances as new evidence accumulates and allows scientists to replace, refine, or expand on accepted ideas about the natural world.
  • At the heart of science is the scientific investigation, which is done by following the scientific method. A scientific investigation is a plan for asking questions and testing possible answers.
  • A scientific investigation typically begins with observations. Observations often lead to questions.
  • A hypothesis is a possible logical answer to a scientific question, based on scientific knowledge.
  • A prediction is a statement that tells what will happen under certain conditions.
  • Evidence is any type of data that may either agree or disagree with a prediction, so it may either support or disprove a hypothesis. Conclusions may be formed from evidence.
  • The last step in a scientific investigation is the communication of results with others.
  • With repeated testing, some hypotheses may eventually become scientific theories. A scientific theory is a broad explanation for events that is widely accepted as true.

Vocabulary

  • science: Way of learning about the natural world that is based on evidence and logic.
  • evidence: Any type of data that may be used to test a hypothesis.
  • experiment: Special type of scientific investigation that is performed under controlled conditions to test a hypothesis.
  • prediction: Statement that tells what will happen under certain conditions. 
  • hypothesis: Possible answer to a scientific question. It must be possible to prove it wrong.
  • theory: A broad explanation for events that is widely accepted as true.

CK-12 Foundation, Physical Science. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

CK-12 Foundation, Biology. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/