SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS &

REASONING GLOSSARY
Name: _____________________________
Descriptive Investigation
Comparative Investigation
Experimental Investigation
Collecting data that measures Observing and collecting data Designing a fair test using a
or describes objects or
events
It has a question
No hypothesis or controlled

to find similarities and

procedure with variables &

differences between two

controls to answer a

objects or events
Includes hypothesis

variables

question or problem
Uses ALL steps of the
scientific method

Scientific Method

Hypothesis

Theory

Organized way to answer a

Educated guess that can be

A well-established, reliable

science question/problem with

tested to answer a scientific

explanation that has been

a hypothesis, experiment,

question or problem; an idea

tested in many conditions by

variables, multiple trials, data

that can be tested by

multiple people

collection, analysis, conclusion

experiment or observation

Independent Variable

Dependent Variable

Controlled Variable

Variable that is manipulated

Responds to changes in the

Variable that is held constant

during the experiment; it goes

independent variable and is

during an experiment

on the x-axis

measured; it goes on y-axis

(MIX: Manipulated,

(DRY: Dependent, Responding,

Independent, X-axis)

Y-axis)

Metric System

Water Displacement

Table

Measurement System that

Method used to find the

Uses columns and rows to

uses metric prefixes to

volume of an irregular object

organize data

represent powers of 10

by placing the object in water

(like kilo, hecta, deka, deci,

and measuring how much the

centi, or milli)

water volume goes up

Bar Graph

Circle Graph

Line Graph

Uses bars to show or compare

Uses a circle to show parts of

Shows trends or changes in

data in different categories

a whole (percents)

data, often over time

Mean

Median

Mode

The arithmetic average; add

The middle number when

The most frequent number in

or groups

SCIENCE INVESTIGATIONS &

REASONING GLOSSARY
Name: _____________________________
the numbers and divide by the arranged in order from least
a list of numbers
numbers of numbers

to greatest