THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD Pg. 7-8

WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD? A systematic approach to problem solving. A method that is applied in all scientific investigations.

6 STEPS 6 STEPS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD 1.P roblem – 2.R esearch – 3.H ypothesis – 4.E xperiment – 5.O bservation – 6.C onclusion –

STATE THE PROBLEM This is the purpose of the investigation. Usually a question. Example; Do mice grow larger if given Vitamin C?

DO SOME RESEARCH Various resources: internet, text, encyclopedias, interview, etc. You must educate yourself about your investigation so that you can make an “educated guess” to test.

DEVELOP A HYPOTHESIS A hypothesis is an educated guess based on research. The hypothesis is what you are testing in an investigation.

MY CAR WILL NOT START!!! What’s the problem? How can we gather information about the problem? What are some possible hypotheses we could investigate?

PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT Design and perform an experiment that will test your hypothesis for accuracy. To do this you must be able to identify your variables.

BACK TO THE CAR…. Possible hypothesis: If gas is put into the car, the car will start. What’s the manipulated variable? What are some controlled variables? What is the responding variable?

OBSERVATION: LOOK AT YOUR DATA Data includes the measurements and data

STATE THE CONCLUSION Was hypothesis correct or incorrect and why? Ex. Our hypothesis was incorrect because…

DRAW THIS PICTURE – IT WILL HELP YOU REMEMBER THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD.

QUICK EXAMPLE. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WRITE ANY OF THIS DOWN.

The “thing” that is being changed by YOU - by your manipulation. There can only be ONE independent variable. The “thing” that reacts to what you have changed (depends on the other). This is the “thing” you are MEASURING. VARIABLES Independent Variable Dependent Variable

These are the “things” that stay the same throughout the experiment. Controlled Variables

LET’S APPLY WHAT WE’VE LEARNED….

APPLY WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED….. To test whether aspirin can keep flowers fresher for a longer period of time, take two large beakers (labeled A and B) with equal amounts of water. Place one red carnation in each beaker. In beaker A put one tablet of aspirin. In Beaker B do not put aspirin. Identify the following with regard to this particular experiment. What is the independent variable? Amount of Water Aspirin Carnations Time the flowers stay fresh

Apply what you’ve learned….. To test whether aspirin can keep flowers fresher for a longer period of time, take two large beakers (labeled A and B) with equal amounts of water. Place one red carnation in each beaker. In beaker A put one tablet of aspirin. In Beaker B, do not put aspirin. Identify the following with regard to this particular experiment. What is the dependent variable? Amount of Water Size of beakers Size of carnations Time the flowers stay fresh

Apply what you’ve learned….. ”If the amount of sunlight available increases, the rate of photosynthesis in a plant will also increase". This statement is an example of a(n) ConclusionPurpose AnalysisHypothesis

Apply what you’ve learned….. The effect of one minute of walking and one minute of running on the pulse and respiration rates of a human. In this experiment, what is/are the dependent variable(s)? Speed Time Pulse & Respiration Rates Walking & Running

Apply what you’ve learned….. If you were doing research on the deadly E-bola virus, which resource in the library would give the most current information? InternetBook World Book Encyclopedia Reader’s Guide

Apply what you’ve learned….. The effect of one minute of walking and one minute of running on the pulse and respiration rates of a human. In this experiment, what is/are the controlled variable(s)? Speed Time Pulse & Respiration Rates Walking & Running

Apply what you’ve learned….. Scientists must analyze the results of an experiment before they: Form a hypothesis Perform experiment Identify a control Draw a conclusion

APPLY WHAT YOU’VE LEARNED A student plants one marigold seed into each of three pots. One pot she uses soil from a flower bed outside her house, one pot she plants with soil from a garden store, and one she plants into rocks. She uses a pitcher and waters each seed. She puts a pot on the window sill of her kitchen, one under the grow lights on her porch and one in a bag. She waits three days and makes her first observation. This is not a well prepared experiment. On a sheet of paper write at least 3 reasons why this is not a scientifically sound experiment. Then we will discuss your answers.discuss your answers

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU’RE CORRECT!

SORRY, THAT’S INCORRECT. TRY AGAIN.

DISCUSSING…..

BACK TO THE CAR…AGAIN.. How would we perform the experiment to test our hypothesis ? (If gas is put into the car, it will start.) How would we collect and analyze our data? If the car starts, what can we conclude? If the car doesn’t start, what can we conclude? How could we redesign our experiment to find out why the car won’t start?

REMEMBER! THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD IS A SYSTEMATIC WAY TO SOLVE A PROBLEM OR ANSWER A QUESTION. IT’S A METHOD THAT CAN BE APPLIED IN YOUR DAILY LIVES, NOT JUST IN SCIENCE CLASS. SO TRY IT!!

THIS ISN’T THE END…IT’S REALLY ONLY THE BEGINNING….

STUDENT WORKSHEET Click here to download the Applying the Scientific Method Student Worksheet Microsoft Word document.Applying the Scientific Method Student Worksheet Use the power point presentation to help you complete the student worksheet. Use the arrow keys to move from box to box and type in your responses.

STUDENT WORKSHEET Use a 12 point font and do not bold or italicize your answers. Once you have completed all the answers except the last part of number 3 and number 6 (involving sketching), print out the worksheet and complete those numbers using a pen or pencil. Turn in your completed worksheet to your teacher.