Chapter 2 The Nature of Science Vocabulary

Evidence - The material or data from which conclusions can be drawn and by which proof can be established.

Hypothesis - A tentative explanation for an observation or phenomenon, developed from available information and used as a basis for testing.

Technology - The application of scientific discoveries to meet human objectives.

Scientific inquiry - Investigation of a natural phenomenon by observing, asking questions, forming a hypothesis, gathering data, testing the hypothesis, and sharing what has been learned.

Peer review - The process by which one’s work or research is reviewed by experts in the field to evaluate the validity of the work.

Theory - An explanation or model based on observation, reasoning, and experimentation, especially one that has been tested and confirmed as a general explanation for phenomena that has been observed.

Law - A generalized statement about how the natural world behaves under certain conditions and for which no exceptions have ever been found.

Geology - branch of Earth science that studies the geosphere and the processes that shape it over time.

Astronomy - the branch of Earth science that studies the Earth's place in the Universe.

Oceanography - the branch of Earth science that studies the Earth's ocean / hydrosphere.

Meteorology - the branch of Earth Science that studies the atmosphere.