Living Environment Translated Arabic 2014 | Page 4

Unit 1: Experimental DesignA. Vocabulary: 1. Observation- any information that can be gathered using the senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste (only at the direction of the teacher!!!) 2. Hypothesis - an “educated guess”; a prediction based on previous knowledge and on your basic knowledge of science 3. Data collection- information gathered and organized during the experiment in an effective manner 4. Data Table- an organized method of recording collected data 5. Graph- a visual method of presenting collected data ( line, bar, circular types) 6. Evidence-based decision making- reaching conclusions about a topic based on the data collected during experiments. 7. Constants- parts of the experiment that are the same in both the control and the experimental groups 8. Variables- Part of the experiment that change.  Independent variable- the variable that the scientist is manipulating.  Dependent variable- the data that the scientist is collecting based on the manipulation of the independent variable 9. Theory- an explanation of things or events based on scientific knowledge that is the result of many observations and experiments. 10.Law- a statement about how things work in nature that seems to be true all the time.