ACT Science vocabulary: experimental design and procedures.

The assembled equipment used to perform an experiment or scientific task.

The apparatus included a sealed flask, pressure sensor, rubber tubing, and digital recording device.

Memory cueAn apparatus is the full equipment setup assembled on the laboratory bench.

precise adjustments or measurements for accuracy

Regular calibrations ensure the equipment produces accurate readings, giving the reviewers concrete evidence for judging the quality of the completed work.

Memory cueCalibrations turn a scale's tiny adjustment knob until zero is exactly accurate.

Severely restricted the scope, extent, or activity of; compelled or forced

Limited funding constrained the researchers to a much smaller sample size than they had originally planned.

Memory cueConstrained movement strains against tight limits that restrict its range.

A comparison condition that does not receive the tested treatment and helps isolate its effect.

The control plants received plain water, allowing researchers to judge the fertilizer's actual effect.

Memory cueThe control is the untouched comparison lane that shows what happens without the treatment.

Based on observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic

The hypothesis, however elegant, must be supported by empirical evidence before it can be accepted as theory.

Memory cueEmpirical knowledge wears muddy field boots because it comes from observation and experience, not theory alone.

possible to do easily or conveniently; practical and achievable.

The engineers determined that the project was technically feasible, showing how demanding the task became for the people responsible for completing it.

Memory cueA feasible plan crosses bridges marked PRACTICAL and ACHIEVABLE.

a proposed explanation for something, based on limited evidence, used as a starting point for further investigation.

The researcher developed a hypothesis to explain the unusual phenomenon, shaping how confidently the people involved could reach a defensible conclusion.

Memory cueA hypothesis is a possible explanation waiting at the start of an investigation.

to set apart from others; to identify and examine separately

Scientists worked to isolate the virus in the laboratory, making the important points of resemblance and contrast easier to identify.

Memory cuePlace one sample alone under a glass dome to isolate and examine it separately.

The organized system of methods and principles used to conduct an investigation.

The researchers published their methodology so other teams could evaluate and reproduce the unusual findings.

Memory cueMethodology is the labeled toolbox and instruction manual behind an entire investigation.

to change or adjust something slightly, especially to improve it or make it more suitable.

The engineer modified the design to improve efficiency, allowing observers to compare the new result with its earlier form.

Memory cueModify a machine by changing one part while keeping the whole recognizable.

Information obtained by carefully noticing, watching, or measuring a phenomenon.

A single observation may suggest a hypothesis, but repeated measurements are needed to test it reliably.

Memory cueAn observation is one carefully recorded view through the scientist's window.

Measurable factors or variables that define a system or set the conditions of its operation

The experiment's parameters were carefully controlled to isolate the effect of a single variable.

Memory cueParameters draw the measurable boundaries within which a system operates.

established or decided in advance

The outcome seemed predetermined before the trial even began, shaping how confidently the people involved could reach a defensible conclusion.

Memory cueA predetermined route is locked into the map before the trip begins.

The ordered set of actions used to carry out an experiment or measurement.

The procedure requires students to rinse the probe before measuring each new solution sample.

Memory cueA procedure is the experiment's numbered recipe, telling exactly what to do and when.

The use of chance to assign subjects or treatments, reducing systematic bias between groups.

Randomization made preexisting differences equally likely to occur in either experimental group during assignment.

Memory cueRandomization uses a shuffled deck to assign groups without a researcher's preference steering the deal.

able to be done or made again in the same way

The experiment must be repeatable for the results to be valid, making the important points of resemblance and contrast easier to identify.

Memory cueA repeatable process follows the same circular arrow and produces the same result again.

Capable of being exactly copied or reproduced

For a scientific finding to be taken seriously, the experiment that produced it must be replicable by independent labs.

Memory cueA replicable result can be copied exactly by repeating the same procedure.

Examined or inspected closely and thoroughly

The contract was scrutinized by three different law firms before the board of directors approved the deal.

Memory cueThe object was scrutinized beneath a magnifying glass that checked every detail.

One complete repetition of an experimental procedure under specified conditions.

During each trial, the team released the ball from the same height and measured its rebound.

Memory cueA trial is one full lap through an experiment from setup to recorded result.

to prove or confirm that something is true or correct; to make valid.

The experiment was designed to validate the researcher's hypothesis, shaping whether the audience considered the account reliable and worthy of confidence.

Memory cueValidate a claim by checking it and applying a TRUE AND CORRECT seal.