A blueprint for experiment success. Scientific Method A blueprint for experiment success.

What is the scientific method? It is a simple method scientists use to conduct an investigation. It is a way to ask & answer scientific questions by asking questions & conducting experiments.

I. Question/Problem Ask a question about something observed. Why? How? What? Question to be solved. Must be about something measurable.

II. Hypothesis Educated guess about how things work. Prediction Use If, then statements If ____ [I do this], then _____ [this will happen] Focus on one variable only.

III. Gather Materials/Create Experiment How will you test your Hypothesis? During this step you will develop a procedure for a reliable experiment, gather information that is relevant to the topic, and address safety rules

IV. Perform the Experiment Tests your hypothesis. Is it accepted (right) or rejected (wrong) ? Change only one variable at a time. Use a control or control group (A group that has nothing done to it. Standard used for comparison in an experiment.) In order for results to be valid, conduct several tests.

IV. Perform the Experiment Record your data in a data table. Numerical (quantitative) data organized in rows and columns The specific independent variables are listed •The number of trials are listed Blanks are left for the data (dependent variable) to be filled in

IV. Perform the Experiment Title: Describing the Data Trial Variable 1 Variable 2 Variable 3 1 2 3 4 5 AVERAGE

V. Collect and Analyze Data Reduce the data Average (Mean) Graph Graph the data to look for trends & relationships.

VI. Conclusion Summary of your experiment. After your experiment, analyze your data to see if your hypothesis was accepted or rejected. If hypothesis is rejected, give possible reasons for the difference between your hypothesis and the experimental results.