Definitions

Definitions - Introduction / Safety

These are the current definitions that you should be studying. Updated September 11th.

A set of digital flashcards with unit definitions can be found here.

This list is now complete.

Science	Knowledge of general facts, laws and relationships that is obtained through systematic observation and experimentation.
Purpose	The scientific reason the experiment is being conducted. Should include a reference to both the independent variable and dependent variable.
Hypothesis	An educated guess as to what the outcome of the experiment will be. Must relate the two variables. It should also provide reasoning to your thoughts.
Equipment	A bulleted list of all of the materials required to perform the experiment.
Procedure	A numbered, step-by-step list of the actions taken in order to complete the experiment.
Safety Precautions	Actions taken to ensure the safety of all those involved in the experiment.
Independent Variable	The factors of the experiment that are being tested. The scientist chooses to change the independent variable.
Dependent Variable	The factors of the experiment that are being measured. The scientist has no control over the change of the dependent variable.
Constant Conditions	The factors of the experiment that are not permitted to change. These are things that, if they changed, would affect the outcomes of the experiment. There are often multiple constant conditions.
Control	A set of factors used to eliminate error in an experiment, a starting point, something to which you can compare your results.
Observations	Information obtained from the experiment by using your senses. The words "I think" should never appear in observations.
Data	Measurements or statistics obtained from the experiment by using instruments or tallying.
Discussion	Ideas/information obtained from an experiment. This will include personal thoughts and should draw upon knowledge of the topic.
Sources of Error	Things that change in the experiment, affecting the results, that are out of the scientists control.
Conclusion	A final statement indicating the outcome of the experiment in terms of the hypothesis. It should include reference to the hypothesis, including both the independent and dependent variables.