The Scientific Method

Scientific Method The Scientific Method involves a series of steps that are used to investigate a natural occurrence.

Let’s take a closer look at these steps and the terminology you will need to understand before you start a science lab or project.

The Steps Scienctific Method of the Question/Problem Hypothesis Materials Procedure Observation/Collecting Data Analyzing Data and Drawing Conclusions

Question/Problem The question a scientist wants to investigate or answer It needs to be a well-defined question that can be solved through an experiment GO TO THE QUESTION SECTION http://library.thinkquest.org/J001402F/

Which of the following is a not a well-defined question? How does the amount of sunlight that a lima bean plant receives affect its growth? How salty does the sea need to be for an egg to float on it? What makes plants grow? Are the spots on ladybugs an inherited trait?

Think about this…. After you come up with a well defined question/problem, you should know a little bit about the topic you are going to experiment. You should make observations and research on your topic of interest. Why is this important?

Hypothesis The scientist’s educated guess that tries to answer the question under investigation. A good hypothesis can be tested to see if it is right or wrong. Basically, a hypothesis is predicting a possible answer to the problem or question. EXAMPLE A lima bean plant will grow more if it receives more direct sunlight. GO TO THE HYPOTHESIS SECTION http://library.thinkquest.org/J001402F/

Variables A variable is anything that can vary, or change, in an experiment. A scientist usually changes only one variable at a time. All other conditions are kept exactly the same. EXAMPLE: The variable in the lima bean experiment would be the amount of sunlight each plant gets.

Can you name that VARIABLE??? Does heating a cup of water allow it to dissolve more sugar? The temperature of the water in each cup is the variable. Does fertilizer make a plant grow bigger? The amount of fertilizer that each plant gets is the variable.

Materials A list of any and all items needed to conduct the experiment-tools and technology. EXAMPLE: 3 adult lima bean plants 3 pots all the same size Measuring cup (to water plants) 3 different places where there are different amounts of sunlight Pencil Paper

Which instrument could be used to measure the distances traveled by balls of clay shot out of a spoon launcher? A microscope A spring scale A metric ruler A thermometer

Procedure A step-by-step explanation about how a scientist will investigate the answer to the question The procedure is the list of directions that you follow throughout the experiment. GO TO THE EXPERIMENT SECTION http://library.thinkquest.org/J001402F/

What might happen if scientists don’t follow the same procedure when conducting an experiment? Scientists will still get the same results even if they don’t follow the order of the steps in the procedure. Scientists may get different results if they do not follow the order of the steps in the procedure.

Observation & Collecting Data Scientists take measurements and record what they see. Make sure that the data you have collected and observed can support your hypothesis. Confirm your results by retesting the experiment. GO TO THE OBSERVE & RECORD http://library.thinkquest.org/J001402F/

Observation & Collecting Data Have you ever… Watched the stars at night? Picked up a rock and felt it in your hand? Tasted something to find out if it’s salty or sweet? Smelled a flower? Listened to a thunderstorm? If you yes to any of these questions, you have made an observation. The tools you used were your 5 senses.

Analyzing Data and Drawing Conclusions Scientists study the results of the experiment, interpret patterns, draw conclusions and make predictions. They often organize their results in journals, charts, graphs, tables, diagrams or maps. The scientist usually makes recommendations for further study and possible improvements to the procedure. The conclusion includes a statement that accepts or rejects the hypothesis. GO TO THE CONCLUSION http://library.thinkquest.org/J001402F/

Scientist B’s seeds were too warm. Scientist A put seeds in a jar of soil. The scientist watered the seeds and put the jar on a window sill. Scientist B put the same type of seeds in a jar of soil and watered them. Scientist B put the jar inside a box and covered its lid. Scientist B then placed the box on a window sill. After a week, one of Scientist A’s seeds began growing into a plant. None of Scientist B’s seeds grew into a plant. What is the best conclusion from this experiment? Scientist B’s seeds were too warm. Scientist B needed to use better soil. Scientist A’s jar helped the seeds to grow. Scientist B’s seeds needed sunlight to grow.

Interactive Websites http://www.quia.com/rd/7331.html?AP_rand=1838586512 SCIENTIFIC METHOD SONG http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MV8lSmIo4Ac