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Experimental Design and the Scientific Method

Experimental Design and the Scientific Method. Life Savers Lab. There is NO SINGLE METHOD for doing science!!!! However, science involves a series of common steps. Steps of the Scientific Method. 1. Make an Observation Example:

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Experimental Design and the Scientific Method

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  1. Experimental Designand the Scientific Method Life Savers Lab

  2. There is NO SINGLE METHOD for doing science!!!! However, science involves a series of common steps...

  3. Steps of the Scientific Method 1. Make an Observation Example: • It takes students differing amounts of times to eat a Life Savers.

  4. Steps of the Scientific Method 2. Ask a Question Examples: • Does flavor influence how long it takes to eat a Life Savers? • Does gender affect how long it takes to eat a Life Savers?

  5. Steps of the Scientific Method 3. Form a Hypothesis and … 4. Make a Prediction • Hypothesis: A proposed explanation that answers your question. • This must be TESTABLE! • Statement: If_________, then_______ • Prediction: A statement that forecasts what would happen if your hypothesis is true.

  6. Steps of the Scientific Method 5. Test your hypothesis • Experiment: An investigation that tests your hypothesis under controlled conditions. • Experimental Design: How you set up your experiment.

  7. Experimental Design • Control Group = you use the control group data to compare to your experimental group data • Experimental Group = the group that is being tested on

  8. Experimental Design Cont. • Constant = Anything that stays the same during an experiment (ex: same flavor, same stop watch, etc) • Controlling your experiment ensures that extra independent variables can’t sneak in and affect your data • Independent Variable = It affects the dependent variable. This is the variable that you change. • Ex: Color of lifesaver, Flavor of lifesaver • Dependent Variable = It depends on the independent variable. This is the variable you measure. • Ex: the length of time to consume a lifesaver

  9. Experimental Design Cont. • Let’s say you have 2 variables and you can’t tell which should be the dependent variable and which should be the independent variable • We know that the dependent variable depends on the independent variable • Put the variables into this sentence and see if it makes sense “______ depends on ______” • Which sentence makes more sense? “Temperature depends on the Number of Sharks.” “The Number of Sharks depends on Temperature.”

  10. Steps of the Scientific Method 6. Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions • Qualitative Data = Deals with descriptions. Observed, but not measured. • Ex: color changes to the lifesaver as you consume it • Quantitative Data =Deals with numbers, can be measured • Ex: The number of seconds needed to consume a lifesavers • Hint: Think “N” for NUMBER!

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