1. The Scientific Method

2. The Scientific Method State Problem / gather information
Why or how questions
Question must be testable – emotion and values not testable
“There are other laws of physics that we can not measure.”
Form a Hypothesis
Answer your question with and educated guess
In form of if/then statement
“If I increase the temperature, the speed of the reaction will also increase.”
Test Hypothesis (experiment)
Analyze Data
Tables and Graphs
Draw Conclusion
Does the data support your hypothesis

3. Flow Chart

4. Question
SPAM
Simple
Practical
Answerable
Measurable

5. Hypothesis
If…then…will….

6. Experiments Changed Variable Measured Variable Controlled Variables
Things you keep the same.
Bias
Eliminated by running several repeatable trials

7. Experiment #1
Ten seeds were planted in each of five pots found around the house that contained 500g of “Pete’s Potting Soil.” The pots were given the following amounts of distilled water each day for 40 days: Pot 1, 50 mL; Pot 2, 100 mL; Pot 3, 150 mL; Pot 4, 200mL; Pot 5, 250mL. Pot 3 received the recommended amount of water. The height of each plant was measured at the end of the experiment.

8. Answers: Pete’s Potting Soil
Independent Variable:
Amount of distilled water
Dependent Variable:
Height of the plants
Constants:
Type of soil, amount of sunlight, type of plant, type of pot, anything else?
Control(s):
Pot 3 received the recommended amount of water.

9. Experiment #2
Gloria wanted to find out if the color of food would affect whether kindergarten children would select it for lunch. She put food coloring into 4 identical bowls of mashed potatoes. The colors were red, green, yellow and blue. Each child chose a scoop of potatoes of the color of their choice. Gloria did this experiment using 100 students. She recorded the number of students that chose each color.

10. Answers: Colored Potatoes
Independent Variable:
mashed potato color
Dependent Variable:
students choosing to take them
Constants:
mashed potato ingredients, bowls served in, spoons served with, server, student age
Control(s):
How many students normally take potatoes?
A bowl of regular potatoes would need to be set out also.

11. Law and Theory Do laws become theories or other way around?
Law: observable facts of nature – rules of the game.
No explanation – this will happen.
Law of Gravity
Theory: An explanation for a set of observations.
Answers why.
Many theories of gravity out there
To become a theory takes many supporting observations.