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Mastering the Scientific Method: Step-by-Step Guide for Lab Reports

Learn the essential steps of the scientific method - question, hypothesis, experiment, analysis, conclusion - to excel in lab reports and scientific investigations. Understand the importance of each step and how to apply them effectively.

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Mastering the Scientific Method: Step-by-Step Guide for Lab Reports

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  1. The Scientific Method • What is the scientific method? • An approach for determining scientific rules and relationships • Why do we need it? • It’s more convenient than just hoping you stumble over the rules and relationships

  2. The Scientific Method • Problem or question • Hypothesis • Design and conduct an experiment • Analyze results • Draw a conclusion These steps form the basis for our lab reports!

  3. Step 1: The Question • Ask the right question! • Sometimes you need to make observations to come up with a question

  4. Step 2: Hypothesis • How are variables related? • Needs to be testable • Needs to be consistent with the question

  5. Step 3: Experiment • Make sure the experiment addresses the question and hypothesis • Determine: • Constants: what doesn’t change • Independent variables: what you directly change (in Physics, we use Time a lot) • Dependent variables: what will change automatically when you change something else– what you observe • Outline what you will do • Do it!

  6. Step 3: Experiment (Cont’d) • Make sure you control everything you can control • Do many trials (at least 3)! • Set up a table to accept your data

  7. Data Tables • Data tables are created when you design the experiment • Then filled in when you perform the experiment • When you see the data later, you should be able to immediately understand what the data meant • Key aspects: • Title (with DV) • Units • IV • Trials • Averages (s) Time for ball to drop

  8. Data Tables Heavy Ball Light Ball • Lots of different ways to make tables • Easiest solution (but not very elegant) is to make lots of small tables • More efficient is to combine tables (s) Time of flight

  9. How to tell if your table is good • If you looked at it 2 weeks after the experiment, could you immediately figure out what the numbers meant? • What was I measuring? • What units did I use? • What’s different between this number and the one next to it? (s) Time for ball to drop

  10. Step 4: Analyze Results • What happened? • Draw graphs (if necessary) to determine relationships • Do whatever you need to do to draw a conclusion

  11. Step 5: Conclusion • What did you learn about the hypothesis from the experiment? • If it didn’t directly confirm (or refute) the hypothesis, what else needs to be done? • What did we learn? • What would you do differently next time?

  12. Keys to Success • Consistency • Make sure the experiment and conclusion directly address the hypothesis and the problem • Understanding • At the end, you need to clearly state what was learned • So be sure you learn something!

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