7 Steps of Scientific Method By: Eric Cortez and Alex Shaw 1

State the Problem Describe the problem you’re facing The best way to do this is to state it as a question 2

Example: Which surface will require the most force to move an object on? 3

Gather Information on the Problem Using the internet or a library, research the problem 4

Example Friction is a force that opposes movement between 2 surfaces The force and the surfaces’ textures determine how much friction occurs. Different surfaces generate different amounts of friction 5

Form a Hypothesis Think of an idea about what’s going to happen Remember to use the “if…then” format when coming up with a hypothesis 6

Example: If an object is pushed across a smooth surface, then the force will be less than when the object is pushed across a rough surface 7

Design and Perform the Experiment Come up with an experiment that you think will help you solve your problem List the materials you’ll need List the steps you need to take After that, do the experiment 8

Example: Materials Rope Box Spring scale Tile floor Rug Asphalt Steps Attach spring scale to rope Attach rope to box Pull box across surface Record the data Repeat 9

Record and Analyze the Data Write down the information that you got and study the data 10

Example: 1.3 1.2 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.6 Recording Analyzing Pushing the box across a smooth surface was quite easy (like a tile floor) It was harder to push the box across a rough surface (like a rug or asphalt) Trial 1 Tile 1.3 Trial 2 Trial 3 1.2 Rug 1.6 Asphalt 1.5 1.5 1.6 11

Form a Conclusion State the solution to the problem 12

Example: Rougher surfaces cause it to be harder to move objects across them 13

Repeat Repeat Repeat Perform everything you just did again and again Do this to ensure that the first experiment wasn’t just a fluke 14

Example: We’ll repeat the experiment a few more times just to make sure we got the right answers 15

THE END 16