Description in Scientific Research

Why is G.K. Gilbert's drawing, shown below, considered a hypothesis about the formation of the Henry Mountains?

• a.In descriptive research, sketches are often used in place of data.
• b.Gilbert summarized his data and suggested a cause for mountain formation in the sketch.
• c.He made the hypothesis before he went to the Henry Mountains to collect any data.
• d.Gilbert planned to perform an experiment that looked like the drawing.

Taking measurements of CO₂ concentrations in an ice core from Antarctica is considered descriptive scientific research because

• a.the data are quantitative.
• b.the data have been validated by other ice cores.
• c.there was no manipulation of variables.
• d.the measurements go back 650,000 years.

Description is often used in conjunction with other research methods, including experimentation, modeling, and comparison. Why is this the case?

• a.Description is the easiest scientific research method.
• b.Systematic observations are necessary in all research methods.
• c.Description can't stand alone as a research method.
• d.All of the answers are correct.

A descriptive study of the impacts of hurricane-force winds on a new home would include

• a.a survey of a group of homes following a recent hurricane.
• b.an analysis of the damage done to a similar home in a wind tunnel.
• c.a review of building codes in the community where the home is located.
• d.a calculation of the force needed to cause mechanical failure of the walls of the home.

In order to be useful in scientific research, descriptions must be

• a.quantitative.
• b.highly detailed.
• c.systematic and rigorous.
• d.made by a scientist.

In order to use description as a research method, a scientist must manipulate variables.

• a.true
• b.false

Scientists have been able to use historical descriptions of events like the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius to conduct scientific investigations because

• a.the amount of data for historical events is significant.
• b.the descriptions are detailed and systematic, even if they weren't made by scientists.
• c.the people who wrote descriptions were all scientists.
• d.they are descriptions of events that were witnessed first-hand, so they are accurate.