Virginia SOL Biology

Vocabulary

hypothesis

• a theory or explanation drawn from evidence
• but not yet proven

observation

• in the lab
• in the field (nature)

valid / validity

analysis = to look into something to see how it works

scientific reasoning

nature of science

> science = identifying knowledge

>> science is the investigation into how stuff works and why (rocks, biology, electricity, etc. )

= a process

scientif reasoning = ways to think about and do science

1. observation (in lab or in the field)

2. hypothesis  > to make an "idea" (thesis)

= a theory or to make theory

> an educated guess about an observation

   > = estimate of what the evidence tells us

   > a theory drawn from evidence

<< hypothesis is not proven (not confirmed)

   testing confirms a hypothesis

3. variable = is the thing we want to test

variables are what we do not know

4. constants = what we arleady know

in a lab we observe, we make hypothesis, and we test it...

we test is 1. variable and other constants

variable = what will change

    constant = what stays the same

we conduct an experiment to test the validity of our hypothesis

contaminate

  >> to add something  that does not belong

>> to infect, or make impure (= not pure, not 100% of something.  Ex.: touching  my fyfiniger in the beaker of water "contaminates" it bc what was on my fin\ger is not in the water... (so I've introduced a new variable now, since my water is no longer pure (it is contaminated)

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test taking skills

ELIMINATE WRONG ANSWERS!DO NOT CHOOSE RIGHT ANSWERS!!