The Scientific Method

1. The Scientific Method

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

3. 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.

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

5. 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/

6. 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?

7. 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?

8. 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/

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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/

14. 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.

15. 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/

16. 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.

17. 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/

18. 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.

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