Inventions


Glossary

A

analyze
 - to study or examine something in your possession so as to understand its meaning
antibiotic
 - medicine that kills disease-causing bacteria

B

bacteria
 - one-celled organisms, both harmful and helpful, found throughout the earth
brainstorm
 - to generate a number of ideas or solutions

C

conclusion
 - A reasonable judgment or summary of what you learned
consistent
 - staying the same over time

D

data
 - numbers and measurements you get from the test in a scientific experiment

E

efficient
 - functioning well, without wasting time or effort
eventually
 - after a long passage of time

F

filament
 - a thin thread-like conductor that is heated to glowing by the passage of electric current
foundation
 - the basis on which other things are built

H

hypothesis
 - an educated guess about how things work, an testable explanation

I

improve
 - to make more useful, valuable, or desirable
incandescent
 - glowing with intense heat
innovation
 - new changes to things which already exist
investigation
 - A quest to find the answer to a question using the scientific method

M

modify
 - to make small changes or adjustments
mold
 - a growth of fungi attached to something

O

observation
 - what you learn when you look closely, see, hear, or touch
original
 - new, first, not been done before

P

perseverance
 - continued, sustained effort even when it's difficult
practical
 - capable of being put to everyday use
productive
 - successfully perform tasks in timely manner
prototype
 - a first, functional model of a new design

R

refine
 - to modify, improve, or change something
research
 - to find and collect information about a subject
results
 - the outcomes or consequences of an experiment

S

survive
 - to stay alive

T

technology
 - the science of turning the materials of the natural world into objects, tools, and machines
tinkering
 - adjusting or working with something in an experimental way, without a sure outcome

V

variable
 - factor that can cause your test results to change