2.3 Observations, Facts, Inferences, and Hypothesis
Purpose of Section:
The purpose of the section is to help students understand the terms involved in environmental science. The section also goes over the different components of testing an inference and it goes over the scientific method.
Point of View of Section:
The section is from an environmentalist scientists’ point of view because there are a lot of terms and discusses the steps of the scientific method.
Terms in Section:
Observation: Information obtained through one or more of the five senses or through instruments that extend the senses.
Inferences: A conclusion derived by logical reasoning from premises and/or evidence.
Fact: Something that is known based on actual experience or observation.
Hypothesis: An explanation set forth in a manner that can be tested and is capable of being disproved.
Dependent Variable: A variable that changes in response to changes in an independent variable.
Independent Variable: The variable that is manipulated by the investigator.
Controlled Experiment: Test the effects of independent variables on a dependent variable by changing only one independent variable at a time.
Operational Definitions: Definitions that tell you what you need to look for or in order to carry out an operation, constructing, or manipulating.
Quantitative Data: Data expressed as numbers or numerical measurements.
Qualitative Data: Data distinguished by qualities or attributes that cannot or are not expressed as quantities.
Model: A deliberately simplified explanation , often physical,
