Victoria, who is 10 years old, wants to be a zoologist when she grows up because she loves animals. So, she decided to begin her training by “doing something scientific.” Specifically, she weighed and measured the lengths of all the earthworms she could find in her yard and recorded the data in a notebook. She then made a graph showing the maximum, minimum, and average weights and heights of the earthworms. Was she doing something scientific?
A) No, because she is too young to think like a scientist. B) No, because she had no hypothesis to direct her data collection or interpretation. C) Yes, because scientists always make measurements. D) Yes, because scientists always construct graphs with the data they collect.
A scientific hypothesis must be constructed with which of the following characteristics?
A) It is always provable and clearly states what is already known to be fact. B) It provides a reasonable explanation to a question and is consistent with current observations; it must also be testable and falsifiable. C) It provides an explanation consistent with accepted theological ideas and does not need to be tested. D) It does not require testing by experimentation or additional observations. It is not falsifiable.
Is it important for scientists to communicate their results to fellow scientists?
A) Yes. Scientists want to receive recognition and monetary reward for their work. B) No. There is no reason for scientists to communicate their results to fellow scientists. C) Yes. The quality and accuracy of the scientific work can be enhanced by input, further review, and possibly even repetition by other scientists working in the same field. D) No. Communication between scientists is discouraged because it can confuse the details of the experiments.