Living Environment Translated English 2014 | Page 4

b. Prefixes:
1. Kilo- 1000 times larger than the basic unit
2. Deci- 1/10 of the basic unit
3. Centi- 1/100 of the basic unit
4. Milli- 1/1000 of the basic unit

B. General Notes:
1. Scientists use the scientific method to investigate observations about
living and nonliving things.
2. Scientific methods are procedures used to solve problems and
answer questions.
3. The steps of the scientific method are as follows:
a. State the problem
b. Gather information about the problem
c. Form a hypothesis- This statement is based on your best ideas… it
does not have to be correct but it does have to be reasonable.
d. Perform the experiment
e. Analyze the data
f. Draw conclusions
g. Revise the hypothesis if it is not supported
h. Repeat the experiment many times to make sure you are data is
reliable if the hypothesis is supported
i. Report your findings to others so that they can verify your findings
j. An experiment can only test ONE variable at a time.
k. All experiments should include a control.
4. A theory is an explanation based on many scientific observations and
experiments.
5. A scientific law is a statement about how things work in nature that
seem to be true all of the time. They tell you what will happen under
certain conditions , but do not necessarily explain why it will happen.
6. Scientists use the SI ( Metric) system of measurement.