Scientific Method Notes

Scientific Method The way scientists learn and study about the world around them

Observe and Question Observe- Make notice of things in the world around you Question- Scientists ask questions when they don’t understand what they have observed

How many pennies can a bess beettle pull? Why do leaves change colors? What causes cancer? How could I design a more efficient light bulb that uses less energy and saves money? What impact does human use of pesticides have on the environment?

Is this Testable? A good scientific question is testable You can Experiment on this Not Testable Ghosts? Religion? Feelings or Opinions?

Hypothesis Define- An educated guess for why what you observed is happening Should be an IF…. THEN…. statement Example- If I eat more cookies then I will gain weight

What’s the Point? How will conducting an experiment on this help me? What can be gained from the information collected?

Variables What does it mean to vary? Independent Variable- This is what you are testing or changing in the experiment There should only be 1 in an experiment Dependent Variable- This will change because of the independent variable. This is the data or what you are measuring in an experiment

Procedure Step by step description of how you will do the experiment

P B and J How do I make a PB and J Sandwich? Open bread package Pull out two pieces of bread and put them side by side on plate Open peanut butter and using a knife apply 1 tablespoon of peanut butter to one side of one slice of the bread Open jelly and using a knife apply 1 tablespoon of jelly to one side of the other slice of the bread Put two pieces of bread together so that the peanut butter is touching the jelly Eat and Enjoy

Controls The group in which nothing changes at all Used as a comparison to the group being tested

Fair Test There is only 1 independent variable This way you know that the dependent variable changed because of what you were testing and not because of an outside factor

Who can drink the water fastest?

Collect Data Data- The information that you gather Examples: How tall did the plant grow How often did the kitten eat Which side, light or dark, did the insect prefer

Present Data Chart- arranges information from the experiment visually, such as in a table Graph- placing numbers on a grid Mathematics is Involved! Patterns in data

Analyze Data How you explain your data Should summarize the graphs, tables, or charts you have Looking for patterns

What if there’s an error? First of all, IT IS OKAY! This just means you should take a look back at your lab, see where you can make improvements, and run more trials

What if the answer is not what we are looking for? THATS OKAY TOO! It’s just as important to know what doesn’t work as it is to know what does Thomas Edison- "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."

Conclusion Was your hypothesis supported? Should be written as My hypothesis was supported because … (this data showed) My hypothesis was not supported because … (this experiment showed)