The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method can be broken into four basic components

The scientific method Ask a question Investigate your question: Conduct Research, create a hypothesis about your question, design an experiment Conduct your experiment Write your conclusion

A process for science Scientific Methods are the ways scientists investigate the world The methods used change depending on what question you are answering Scientists always start with a question to investigate. A good question is one that can be answered through investigation After a question comes an investigation Experiments are investigations that are controlled by the scientist At the end of the investigation a scientist draws their conclusion. The conclusion may answer the question asked or might create new questions.

How to excel in experimentation An experiment is designed to answer a question Even before you make a hypothesis about your question, investigate your topic a little to learn more about it Hypothesis: What you think the results will be of your experiment. Use your research to create the best hypothesis Design your experiment It needs to answer your question Pick a variable to test A variable is the thing that changes with each experiment Warning- There are many variables in an experiment, you must keep all variables the same except the one you are testing. Among your tests must be a control (the

What is a Control!? Control is the portion that you are not performing experiments on. It is just there to serve as the blank state that experiments compare to. For instance, in a drug trial, the control group are giving placebos and data from the experimental group that actually took the drug will be compared to it to see effects

Identify: You are performing an experiment where you freeze different substances with water in them. You want to see which will freeze the quickest. In the freezer you place 10 oz of orange juice in a plastic cup, 10 oz of milk in a plastic cup, 10 oz of apple juice in a plastic cup, 10 oz of water in a plastic cup, and 10 oz of alcohol in a plastic cup. What is the variable you are testing? What are some of the other variables that you are controlling? What is your control test?

How to excel in experimentation Carry out your procedure Each time you repeat your procedure is called a trial If you are not getting a consistent result, keep trying the experiment and see if you made a mistake Always repeat your procedure several times to avoid mistakes Record your data Determine which charts or graphs best represent your data Determine what visuals to use (pictures are always good) Draw a conclusion from your data It must be supported with evidence from your experiment Determine if your hypothesis was correct If it was not rethink your hypothesis and fix the experiment to test it again.