๐ Topic Summary
In science, we often want to understand how things work. To do this, we ask questions. But not just any question will do! A testable question is one that can be answered through an experiment or investigation. A hypothesis is a possible answer to that question โ it's an educated guess about what you think will happen. Think of it like this: Question: Does the amount of sunlight affect how tall a plant grows? Hypothesis: If a plant receives more sunlight, then it will grow taller.
The key is that you can design an experiment to see if your hypothesis is correct! Let's practice turning ideas into testable questions and hypotheses.
๐งช Part A: Vocabulary
Match the term with its definition:
| Term |
Definition |
| 1. Hypothesis |
a. A factor that is changed or manipulated in an experiment. |
| 2. Independent Variable |
b. A possible explanation for a phenomenon; an educated guess. |
| 3. Dependent Variable |
c. A question that can be answered through experimentation. |
| 4. Control Group |
d. The group in an experiment that does not receive the treatment. |
| 5. Testable Question |
e. The factor that is measured in an experiment. |
๐ค Part B: Fill in the Blanks
Complete the paragraph using the words: experiment, data, hypothesis, question, results.
A scientist starts with a ____________. They then form a ____________, which is a possible answer. To test this, they conduct an ____________. During the experiment, they collect ____________. Finally, they analyze the ____________ to see if their hypothesis was supported.
๐ก Part C: Critical Thinking
Think about this scenario: You want to know if different types of fertilizer affect the growth of tomato plants. Write a testable question and a hypothesis for this experiment. Explain how you would design an experiment to test your hypothesis.