Scientific Method Notes

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

Observe and Question Observe- Make notice of patterns/phenomena in the world around you Question- Scientists ask when they don’t understand what they observed “A good scientist knows may know many facts about many things, but a great scientist identifies what he does not know and partakes on a journey to figure it out”

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? Questions

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

Hypothesis - An educated guess for why what you observed is happening Should be an IF (I do this)…. THEN (this will happen)…. BECAUSE(I think this) statement Example- If I eat more cookies then I will gain weight because cookies are high in calories

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

Competition: Who can drink the water fastest?

Variables What does it mean to vary? Independent Variable- What the scientist changes or tests 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

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

Identify the IV and the DV in the following scenario

IV and DV? In 1887 a strange nerve disease attacked the people in the Dutch East Indies. The disease was beriberi. Symptoms of the disease included weakness and loss of appetite, victims often died of heart failure. Scientists thought the disease might be caused by bacteria. They injected chickens with bacteria from the blood of patients with beriberi.

The injected chickens became sick. However, so did a group of chickens that were not injected with bacteria.

One of the scientists, Dr. Eijkman, noticed something. Before the experiment, all the chickens had eaten whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed polished rice. Dr. Eijkman researched this interesting case. He found that polished rice lacked thiamine, a vitamin necessary for good health. Hmmm… so what was the issue with the scientists original setup?

Procedure Step by step description of how you will do the experiment What should be included in a good procedure? Think pair share. Class Consensus

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

How many times does a scientist need to run an experiment to see if his/her data is accurate? A. 1 B. 3 C. Many times D. It doesn’t matter

Multiple Trials

The Biggest Bubble! Fix the Procedure 1. Chew some of gum A, blow bubble, measure 2. Chew some of gum B, blow bubble, measure

Controls The participant that does not receive the treatment in the experiment Used as a comparison to the group being tested

Jenny was sure that plants grow taller with fertilizer. She put 5 ml of fertilizer on a plant every week for 5 weeks and that bean plant grew to be 5 ft tall! Obviously the plants grow taller and healthier with fertilizer.

Collect Data Data- The information that you collect and then analyze in your conclusion 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 Label using the independent and dependent variable Don’t forget those units!!!!

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 There are 3 main components Claim- statement of whether or not the hypothesis was supported (restate hypothesis) Evidence – Uses data that was collected to support the claim Reasoning- explains how evidence ties back into the claim

Coke and Mentos In your groups you will 1. Make a data table and record data 2. Write a conclusion as a group. Each student will add one sentence at a time until you feel the conclusion is as strong as possible! As a class we will 1. Look at a group model and work together to identify the components!

Do I meet the conclusion requirements? The hypothesis was supported when the Bubble Yum blew a bigger bubble.