The 5 Steps

1. Make an Observation 2. Develop a Hypothesis 3. Make an Experiment 4. Carry out the Experiment and Analyze results 5. Draw Conclusions

Control Group

Part of an experiment that serves as a basis of comparison to determine the effects of the variable (e.x. plants that don't receive miracle-gro)

Constants

Factors in the experiment that remain the same for all parts of the experiment (e.x. type of plant, type of soil, amount of liquid)

Experimental Group

The set-up that contains the independent variable. Usually a large sample is needed to make sure that results are correct (e.x. for average height of 14 year old boys, measuring 100 people is more accurate than measuring 10)

Independent Variable

In the x-axis, the variable being acted upon (e.x. adding miracle grow)

Dependent Variable

In the y-axis, the variable that changes as a result of of the independent variable. This is what you measure and observe in the experiment (e.x. the height of the plants)

Scientific Theory

A well-supported hypothesis that has been tested many times, and has not been found to be incorrect (e.x. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection)

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