The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method is a way to ask and answer questions by making observations and doing experiments.

Steps of the Scientific Method

Experiment (Design, Materials, Procedure) Scientific Method Purpose/Question Research Hypothesis Experiment (Design, Materials, Procedure) Analysis Conclusion

Purpose / Question Written as a question Tells what your experiment is about Has the 1 variable you are testing

How does the wingspan of a paper airplane affect how far it goes?

Research About your topic Helps you make an educated guess From books, articles, experts, scientific internet sites Written as a paragraph with at least 5 sentences and 5 facts

Do you remember the next step?

Hypothesis Educated Guess Answers your Purpose Question “My hypothesis is …” or “I think …”

Experimental Design Independent Variable Dependent Variable Variable that is changed in the experiment Dependent Variable Responds to change made by independent variable Controlled Variables Variables do not change in the experiment Control Group The group in which the independent variable is not present or is in its normal state.

Independent Variable (IV) Variable that is changed in the experiment Ask yourself “What is being tested?”

Dependent Variable (DV) Responds to change made by independent variable Ask yourself “What is being measured?”

Controlled Variable Variables do not change in the experiment Ask yourself “What is being kept the same?”

Control Group The group in which the independent variable is not present or is in its normal state. Ask yourself “What are the experiment results being compared with?”

Example Marcus has 3 pots on a stove: Pot with salt water Pot with sugar water Pot with water He lights a fire underneath each one, and times how long it takes each pot to boil. What is the IV, DV, Controlled Variables, and Control Group?

Example Independent Variable (IV) – the pots of different waters Dependent Variable (DV) - how long it takes each pot to boil Controlled Variables – same stove, same temperature, same size pot, etc Control Group – pot with regular water

Experiment - Materials List of items used in experiment Specific and detailed

Experiment - Procedure Step by step directions for the experiment (like a recipe) Numbered Begins with a verb

Analysis Shows what happened in your experiment Can be a table, graph, photographs, drawings, or detailed notes

Analysis

Analysis

Conclusion Summary of experimental results “My hypothesis was (correct or incorrect)” “The results of this experiment are useful” “This investigation can be improved by” “Other questions that need to be answered are”