Scientific Method

Steps in the Scientific Method 1. Observation 2. Ask questions 3. Research 4. Hypothesis 5. Experiment/ Test 6. Data Collection 7. Conclusion

1.Observations Gathered through your senses. A scientist notices something in their natural world. Scientists use their 5 senses to make observations.

Observations An example of an observation might be noticing “When my mom cleans, it smells like lemons.”

Observations lead to questions.

2. Ask questions I wonder if lemon juice can clean things or is it added just so things smell fresh.

3. Research Scientist do research after they ask a question. They do research by studying reference materials.

3. Research Reference materials include Encyclopedias, books, magazines or journals, the Internet, and more.

4.Hypothesis A suggested solution to the problem. Must be testable Sometimes written as If…Then… statements Predicts an outcome

Hypothesis An example of a hypothesis might be that “If I add lemon juice to dish soap then it will clean better than dish soap by itself.”

A procedure to test the hypothesis. 5.Experiment A procedure to test the hypothesis.

Variable – factor in the experiment that is being tested

A good or “valid” experiment will only have ONE variable!

Scientific Experiments Follow Rules An experimenter changes one factor (one factor only) and observes or measures what happens.

Controlled or Constants The experimenter makes a special effort to keep other factors constant so that they will not effect the outcome.

What is the Purpose of Controls and Constants? Controls are NOT being tested Controls are used for COMPARISON

One more thing… it is best to make several trials.

6. Data Results of the experiment May be quantitative (measured) or qualitative (observations)

Data Must be organized Can be organized into charts, tables, or graphs

7. Conclusion The answer to the hypothesis based on the data obtained from the experiment

Conclusion Your conclusion may be that your hypothesis was wrong and that is OK.

In order to verify the results, experiments must be retested.

to make sure the results Retest Do your experiment at least three (3) times to make sure the results are accurate!

Let’s Review

Scientific Method 1) Make observations 2) Ask questions 3) Research by studying what has already been done in that area 4) Come up with a hypothesis you would like to test 5) Design an Experiment to test the hypothesis 6) Collect Data 7) Form a Conclusion

YOU are the scientist!! Get busy making observations!!!