Raven sits at the kitchen table with her notebook open. Her ramp numbers fill two neat rows.
Rocket peeks over her shoulder. "So the high ramp won, right? Done!"
"Maybe," Raven says. "But a scientist shows evidence. What do you notice about these numbers?"
Nova projects the table in the air, glowing in soft blue. "I found a pattern," she says. "Look at each row. Which row has the bigger numbers every time?"
Evidence is what you observe or measure that shows an idea is true.
Here are Raven's results from her ramp test.
| Ramp | Try 1 | Try 2 | Try 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| One book | 8 cm | 9 cm | 8 cm |
| Three books | 21 cm | 19 cm | 20 cm |
On the three book ramp, the marble rolled faster at the bottom.
Every try on that ramp pushed the cup farther. That pattern is evidence.
It supports our idea that a faster object carries more energy.
| Statement about Raven's data | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Every three book try pushed the cup farther than every one book try. | ? |
| The one book ramp gave the biggest number. | ? |
| The three tries on one ramp were close but not exactly the same. | ? |
A claim is a sentence that says what you think is true.
Raven's claim: a marble from a higher ramp carries more energy to the cup.
Her evidence: every three book try pushed the cup farther than every one book try.
Her reasoning: the marble moves faster at the bottom of a higher ramp, and faster means more energy.
| Claim check | Does the data support it? |
|---|---|
| A faster marble pushed the cup farther. | ? |
| The ramp height made no difference. | ? |
| Three tries that agree make stronger evidence than one try. | ? |
You used real numbers as evidence today. Tomorrow we find faster and slower energy out in the world.