Scientific Method

Ball Bouncing Experiment Which type of ball- a golf ball, tennis ball, or racquet ball bounces the highest? Conduct an experiment to find out an answer to this question. How should we design this experiment?

Ball Bouncing Experiment What could we do to make our experiment more accurate? Location Dropping each ball Recording bounce height Anything else?

Scientific Method The scientific method is an organized way to answer science questions. It includes six steps. 1. Ask a question 2. Do research/Use what you know 3. Form a hypothesis 4. Design and conduct an experiment 5. Record, organize, and analyze data 6. Draw a conclusion It is important to note that the scientific method is not the only way to conduct an experiment.

1. Ask a Question What do you wonder about the world around you? Example: What type of ball bounces the highest, a golf ball, racquet ball, or tennis ball?

2. Do Research or Use What You Know You can think about what you already know about the subject, but it is also good to do research to gain a better understanding. When you do research, be careful because not resources, especially on the Internet, are reliable. If a website allows anyone to post a comment or reply (like ask.com, wiki.com, wikipedia.com, etc.), it's probably not reliable. Try limiting your search to websites that end with .edu, .gov, or .org.

3. Form a Hypothesis A hypothesis is usually written as an if/then statement. It is also a prediction of what you think is going to happen during the experiment. You must be able to test your hypothesis. Example: If I put drop a tennis ball, racquet ball, and a golf ball at the same height, then the golf ball will bounce the highest.

4. Plan and Conduct Experiment You must create a list of materials and write out the procedures before beginning. The instructions should be brief but clear. Example: 1. You will need a tennis ball, racquet ball, golf ball, and two meter sticks. 2. Drop each ball from a standard height three times each. 3. Record the bounce height of each test. 4. Find the average bounce height for each ball.

5. Record, Organize, and Analyze Data Write down your results. Many times your data will be organized in a table. Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average golf ball racquet ball tennis

Class Data Write your group’s averages below. golf ball racquet ball tennis

6. Draw a Conclusion A conclusion needs to be a complete sentence that explains the outcome of the experiment. Example: In our experiment, the _________ ball bounced the highest.

Variables Variables are factors that influence the outcome of an experiment. A) Independent variable- what is changed from test to test What is the independent variable in our experiment? type of ball B) Dependent variable- what is measured during each test What is the dependent variable in our experiment? bounce height

Variables C) Constants- all the things that are kept the same in an experiment, make experiment fair What are the constants in our experiment? Starting drop height, drop location, etc. D) Control- a standard test that is used a comparison There was not a control in our experiment.

BrainPop Example Watch a Brainpop video on the scientific method and identify each step and the different variables. http://www.brainpop.com/science/scie ntificinquiry/scientificmethod/previe w.weml