Critical vocabulary
Independent variable: the part of the experiment that is controlled or changed by the experimenter
Dependent variable: the part of the experiment that is observed or measured to gather data; changes because of the independent variable
Control: standard of comparison in the experiment; level of the independent variable that is left in the natural state, unchanged
Constant: part of the experiment that is kept the same to avoid affecting the independent variable
Hypothesis: educated guess or prediction about an experiment’s results
Qualitative observation: descriptive observations such as colour or texture
Quantitative observation: measurable observations, usually numbers
Inference: the act of reasoning from factual knowledge or evidence
Independent variable: the part of the experiment that is controlled or changed by the experimenter
Dependent variable: the part of the experiment that is observed or measured to gather data; changes because of the independent variable
Control: standard of comparison in the experiment; level of the independent variable that is left in the natural state, unchanged
Constant: part of the experiment that is kept the same to avoid affecting the independent variable
Hypothesis: educated guess or prediction about an experiment’s results
Qualitative observation: descriptive observations such as colour or texture
Quantitative observation: measurable observations, usually numbers
Inference: the act of reasoning from factual knowledge or evidence