Scientific Method

1. The ways in which scientists answer questions and solve problems. Scientific Method

2. Read the sign

3. Step 1: State the Problem • What is the purpose of the experiment? • What are you trying to find out/prove?

4. Observations • Observation – using the 5 senses to gather data • Qualitative observation – observation that cannot be expressed in numbers (ex. taste) • Quantitative observation – observation expressed in numbers

5. Observation vs. Inference • Observations are things you actually see, feel, hear, smell, taste • An inference is a logical assumption based on observation and knowledge. • Example: • I hear a barking sound outside (observation) • There is a dog outside because I hear a barking sound (inference)

6. Observation vs. Inference Write I or O 1. Mrs. Guzoski has good eye sight because she does not have glasses • The room is 10ft x 12ft • The tree is dead because the leaves are falling off the tree • The banana is yellow • The plant is short • The garbage has a foul odor • Something is wrong with the punch because no one is drinking it

10. How many “f’s” do you count? FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

16. Step 2 - Hypothesis • A testable prediction for a problem or observation • What do you think will happen • This statement will try to describe the relationship between different variables • It is a possible answer to your question • Written as an if-then statement

17. Example of a Hypothesis Question: What effect does studying with music have on student test scores? Hypothesis: If a student studies with music then his/her test scores will increase

18. Setting up your experiment • Materials – equipment and supplies you will use in the experiment • Variables – any factor (thing) that could affect the experiment (test one in an experiment) • Manipulated variable (independent) – the variable a scientist tests by changing it in the experiment • Responding variable (dependent) – the variable that is measured and changes due to the different independent variables

19. One more thing – the control • Control – an experimental group you run without changing any variable. • You compare your results to this.

20. Example • You are wondering what the fastest route home from school is. You map out four different routes and decide to time yourself on each one. On Monday you travel your typical route and then walk a different path each day making sure you move at the same pace. Once you get home you will record the amount of time it took to get from school to your front door.

21. Example • Independent Variable: Walking a different route • Dependent Variable: Time it takes to walk from school to home • Control: Keeping the same walker, comparing to your typical path, and moving at the same pace

22. You Try! In your notebook create a chart as shown below:

23. Patty Power Mr. Krabbs wants to make Bikini Bottoms a nicer place to live. He has created a new sauce that he thinks will reduce the production of body gas associated with eating crabby patties from the Krusty Krab. He recruits 100 customers with a history of gas problems. He has 50 of them (Group A) eat crabby patties with the new sauce. The other 50 (Group B) eat crabby patties with sauce that looks just like new sauce but is really just mixture of mayonnaise and food coloring. Both groups were told that they were getting the sauce that would reduce gas production.

24. Slimotosis Sponge Bob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the shell develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. Sponge Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp.

25. Marshmallow Muscles Larry was told that a certain muscle cream was the newest best thing on the market and claims to double a person’s muscle power when used as part of a muscle-building workout. Interested in this product, he buys the special muscle cream and recruits Patrick and SpongeBob to help him with an experiment. Larry develops a special marshmallow weight-lifting program for Patrick and SpongeBob. He meets with them once every day for a period of 2 weeks and keeps track of their results. Before each session Patrick’s arms and back are lathered in the muscle cream, while Sponge Bob’s arms and back are lathered with the regular lotion.

26. TV Guide One day Squidward told Patrick he watched too many cartoons on TV. Squidward decided to investigate this by watching television with Patrick for 1 week and recording what Patrick watched.

27. Write a Hypothesis Question: What effect will giving chocolate to the teacher have on the amount of homework given? Question: What effect does light have on plant growth? Question: What effect does using a smaller opening have on the amount of water running from a hose?

28. Possible Answers • If I give the teacher chocolate everyday then the amount of homework will increase because Mrs. Guzoski is allergic to chocolate • If a plant is placed in direct sunlight then it will die from too much sun exposure • If the size of the opening is decreased on a hose then less water will run out

29. Step 3 - Procedure/experiment • Procedures – the steps a scientist does in an experiment • Should be easy to follow • Step-by-step instructions • Often includes a sketch • Directions may be numbered to be sure they are done in the correct order • A good way to check the procedure is to ask someone else to read it, and then have them explain how the experiment is to be done. Often you can identify which steps need more details.

30. Procedure Checklist Have you: • included a description and size for all experimental and control groups? • Included a step-by-step list? • Described how to change the independent variable and how to measure that change? • Explained how to measure the resulting changes with the dependent variable? • Explained how the controlled variables will be maintained at a constant value? • Specified how many times you intend to repeat the experiment?

31. Procedure: The Ultimate Test Can another individual duplicate the experiment based on the experimental procedure you have written?

32. Step 4 – Results/data • Results – data or numbers gathered during an experiment • Section of a lab report that contains tables, charts, and graphs

33. Step 5 - Conclusions • Conclusions – what you learn from an experiment based on the results • MORE THAN JUST “My hypothesis was correct.” Find your chart on the control and variables. We will be filling in the rest of the information in the next few slides.

34. Patty Power Mr. Krabbs wants to make Bikini Bottoms a nicer place to live. He has created a new sauce that he thinks will reduce the production of body gas associated with eating crabby patties from the Krusty Krab. He recruits 100 customers with a history of gas problems. He has 50 of them (Group A) eat crabby patties with the new sauce. The other 50 (Group B) eat crabby patties with sauce that looks just like new sauce but is really just mixture of mayonnaise and food coloring. Both groups were told that they were getting the sauce that would reduce gas production. Two hours after eating the crabby patties, 30 customers in group A reported having fewer gas problems and 8 customers in group B reported having fewer gas problems.

35. Patty Power Data

36. Slimotosis Sponge Bob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the shell develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. Sponge Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp. After a week of treatment, the slime is gone and Gary’s shell smells better.

37. Marshmallow Muscles Larry was told that a certain muscle cream was the newest best thing on the market and claims to double a person’s muscle power when used as part of a muscle-building workout. Interested in this product, he buys the special muscle cream and recruits Patrick and SpongeBob to help him with an experiment. Larry develops a special marshmallow weight-lifting program for Patrick and SpongeBob. He meets with them once every day for a period of 2 weeks and keeps track of their results. Before each session Patrick’s arms and back are lathered in the muscle cream, while Sponge Bob’s arms and back are lathered with the regular lotion.

38. Marshmallow Muscles Data

39. TV Guide One day Squidward told Patrick he watched too many cartoons on TV. Squidward decided to investigate this by watching television with Patrick for 1 week and recording what Patrick watched. He found that Patrick watched cartoons 31% of the time, drama 15% of the time, romantic comedies 47% of the time, and commercials 7% of the time.

40. TV Guide data

41. TV Guide graph

42. The Catch • The scientific method does not always proceed from step 1-5 in order. • Sometimes steps are repeated or skipped. • Sometimes steps occur out of order