1. The Scientific Method A Way to Solve a Problem

2. What is the Scientific Method?
It is the steps someone takes to identify a question, develop a hypothesis, design and carry out steps or procedures to test the hypothesis, and document observations and findings to share with someone else.
In other words, it’s a way to solve a problem!

3. Scientists have to take the time to think logically when they are investigating a question or problem.
They break things down into many steps that make sense.

4. 6 Steps to the Scientific Method
Most people agree that there are 5 to 8 main steps of the scientific method
In this class, we will use the following 6 steps:

5. 6 Steps 1) Choose a problem/ question
2) Research your problem/ make observations about your problem
3) Form a hypothesis
4) Experiment to test the hypothesis
5) Record results/data of experiment
6) Communicate the conclusion

6. 1) Choose a problem or question.
Choose something that can be answered with an experiment.
It should be something that interests us, or deals with our everyday lives!

7. Do PCA scholars prefer hot Cheetos or spicy Doritos?

8. OBSERVATION
An observation is the act of gathering information based on the five senses.

9. I see a lot of scholars eating hot Cheetos at lunch everyday.
What is the sense I am using for my observation here?

10. 2) Research your question
Sometimes, if our question is complex, we may need to gather more information by conducting some research.
We can conduct research by making observations.
Examples:
Observe the world around you.
Ask other people for advice!
Look in books or use the internet to find more information!

11. 3) Develop your hypothesis
A hypothesis is
a possible answer
to your question.
Some people call a
hypothesis an
educated guess.

12. After making my observations by asking scholars what kind of snack they liked and seeing what they ate at lunch, my hypothesis is that PCA scholars prefer hot Cheetos to spicy Doritos.

13. 4) Experiment to test the hypothesis!
Get your materials, follow your procedures, and make observations.
Write down your observations, this is called your data!

14. My Data: 14 6th graders preferred hot Cheetos
6 6th graders preferred spicy Doritos
9 7th graders preferred hot Cheetos
11 7th graders preferred spicy Doritos

15. 5) Organize your data
Write down as much data as you can about what you see during your experiment.
Make tables, charts, or graphs using your data.

16. What do our PCA Scholars prefer: Hot Cheetos or Spicy Doritos?

17. 6) State your conclusion
In the conclusion, scientists answer the question that the experiment asked.
Look at your data and decide what it tells you about your hypothesis. Summarize your data.
Communicate your results with others.

18. My Conclusion
Based on my results, 23 PCA scholars preferred hot Cheetos, while 17 PCA scholars preferred spicy Doritos. Therefore, it is my conclusion that PCA scholars prefer hot Cheetos to spicy Doritos. My hypothesis was correct!

19. Once a scientist completes an experiment, they often repeat it to see if they get the same findings and results.
This is really what we call verification, or checking things out to make sure everything was valid and will happen again and again.