The Scientific Method A blueprint for experiment success.

What is the scientific method? The way scientists conduct an investigation. A way to ask & answer scientific questions by asking questions & conducting experiments. REMEMBER: Problems Hold The Answer

What is the problem or question? Ask a question about something observed. ◦Why? ◦How? ◦What? P roblems Hold The Answer STEP 1

TIPS: problem Is it testable? Is it logical? Are both variables mentioned? ◦How does ______ affect _______? Examples: How does eating chocolate affect pimples? How does running affect heart rate?

Create a Hypothesis Educated guess about how things will work. ◦I think ____ because _____. STEP 2 Problems H old The Answer

TIPS: hypothesis I think ____ because _____. Is it logical? Are both variables mentioned? Examples: - I think eating more chocolate will increase pimples because there is a lot of fat in chocolate. - I think running will increase heart rate because exercise causes your heart to beat faster to deliver more oxygen.

TIPS: variables Identify your independent variable (what you are testing/the ‘treatment’) and dependent variable (what might change because of it) ◦Ex: iv = chocolate, dv = pimples Have a control (doesn’t receive the ‘treatment’) ◦Ex: person who eats no chocolate Keep at least 3 constants (variables that do not change throughout the experiment) ◦Ex: time, amounts, measurements, materials, etc. ◦Type of chocolate, amount of chocolate, brand of chocolate, etc

Conduct a Test Test your hypothesis using an experiment. Gather data. Problems Hold T he Answer STEP 3

TIPS: test Create a list of all materials you will need Write a procedure so detailed that a 5 th grader could repeat it Remember to maintain your constants and a control in the procedure Record your data (measurements, observations) in a data table

Analyze the data What did you find out as a result of your experiment? Problems Hold The A nswer STEP 4

TIPS: analysis ◦Represent your data (graph, table, etc.) ◦Conclusion  What does the data tell you? What does it mean?