Scientific Inquiry

Steps to Scientific Method  1. Formulate Questions  2. Gather Background Information  3. Formulate Hypothesis (If, then)  4. Test Experiment  5. Collect Data  6. Analyze Results  7. Draw Conclusions  8. Communicate Your Results

Planning and Running a Fair Test  Hypothesis:  what you think/believe will happen  Possible answer to a question  Independent variable- something you will control or change during your experiment

Planning and Running a Fair Test  Dependent variable:  something that may or may not be affected by your control or change of the independent variable  You do not change it

Planning and Running a Fair Test  Constants:  All of the other things that should be kept the same throughout the fair test

Planning and Running a Fair Test  Prediction:  Predict the results of your fair test  Based on your hypothesis  By comparing your prediction with the actual results of the fair test, you can judge whether your hypothesis was correct, incorrect, or somewhere in-between

Results of a Fair Test  Conclusion:  Restates the hypothesis that the experiment tested and the prediction based on the hypothesis  States whether the results show that the hypothesis is correct, incorrect, or somewhere in-between

Results of a Fair Test  Explanation:  When many tests show a hypothesis is correct, the hypothesis is stronger than a “possible” answer  States why an object is the way it is or why an event happens as it does  Can be reasonable (seem possible) or unreasonable (does not seem possible)

Science and Technology  Goal of science  to study things and events in the natural world and make predictions  Goal of technology  To improve the world by making things that can solve human problems and improve human lives

Types of Data  Quantitative data:  State amounts (quantities) that describe an object  Numbers, units  Uses the metric system  Example: The tongue of a humpback whale can weigh as much as 2 tons.

Types of Data  Qualitative Data:  Provides information about traits (qualities) of objects and event s that cannot easily be described by numbers and units  Use senses to gather qualitative data  Examples: the colors of Saturn’s rings and the smell of rotten eggs

Tools and Equipment  Balance:  Instrument for measuring the mass of an object  Graduated Cylinder:  Tall, narrow container used to measure the amount of a liquid  Usually in milliliters (mL)

Tools and Equipment  Hand Lens:  Used to see small details on an object  Magnets:  Figure out directions (compass)  Find other magnetic materials (steel nails behind a wall)

Tools and Equipment  Spring Scale:  Measure in grams (g), newtons (N), or both  If measures in grams, it tells you the mass  If it measures in newtons, it tells you the weight  Example: spring scale in grocery store

Advanced data- gathering equipment  Uses electricity  Increases the scientist’s ability to observe and measure

Organizing and Displaying Data  Tables, line graphs, pictographs, and bar graphs can display data  Drawing objects can help you see details and patterns you never noticed before  A map shows the locations of an area’s most important features  You can present your findings in a written report or oral report