Earth and Space Science / Unit 1: Earth as a System
1.1 Earth Science and the Scientific Method
Notes
Earth science studies Earth and space. Its main branches are geology (rocks and landforms), oceanography, meteorology (weather) and astronomy.
- The scientific method is a flexible process: observe, ask a question, form a hypothesis, test it with an experiment or more observations, analyze data, and draw conclusions.
- A hypothesis must be testable and could be shown wrong.
- A variable you change on purpose is the independent variable; the one you measure is the dependent variable.
- A scientific theory is a well-tested explanation supported by lots of evidence, not just a guess.
- Example: a student tests whether darker soil warms faster in sunlight. Soil color is the independent variable and temperature is the dependent variable.
Practice
Which statement is a testable hypothesis?
A hypothesis must be testable by measurement.
In a scientific sense, a theory is:
Theories are strongly supported explanations, though they can be refined.
A student changes the amount of water poured on a sand slope and measures how much sand moves. The dependent variable is:
The dependent variable is the one measured as a result.
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