Ch1,Sect2: Thinking Like a Scientist

The Scientific Method is used by most life scientists as the basis of their investigations is a series of steps that is used to answer questions

6 Steps of the Scientific Method Ask a question Form a hypothesis Test the hypothesis Analyze the results Draw conclusions Communicate results

Ask a Question Questions are based on observations Ex. Once the students from Minnesota realized that something was wrong with the frogs at the wild life refuge, they began collecting data and recorded their observations. Collecting data was the first step in the students’ investigation.

Form a Hypothesis A hypothesis is a logical explanation or answer to a question based on data. A hypothesis must be testable by experimentation. Ex. The frogs’ deformities were caused by an increase in exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun.

Test the Hypothesis Scientists try to design experiments that will clearly show whether a particular factor was the cause of an observed outcome. A factor is anything in an experiment that can influence the experiment’s outcome. Factors can be anything from temperature to the type of organism being studied.

Control Experiment A controlled experiment tests only one factor at a time, where there is a control group and one or more experimental groups. All of the factors for the control group and the experimental groups are the same except for one. The one factor that differs between the control group and the experimental group is called the variable.

Analyze the Results Scientists must organize the data from their experiment so that the data can be analyzed. Data can be organized in several ways (tables, charts, graphs, etc).

Draw Conclusions After scientists organize & analyze the data, they decide whether the results of the experiment show that their hypothesis (or prediction) was correct or incorrect.

Communicate Results After scientists complete their investigations, they make a report and communicate their results to other scientists. Communicating results will help others conducting similar experiments that will strengthen scientific theories.

Do the steps need to be done in order? Scientific investigations do not always proceed from one step to the next. Sometimes steps can be skipped, and sometimes steps can be repeated.