7 STEPS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Step 1 - Observation Using your 5 senses to learn about the natural world. Ex: hearing crickets chirping at night Ex: seeing bats catch insects over a brightly lit street lamp.

Step 2 – Ask Questions Asking questions: helps you define a problem allows you to search for logical explanations helps you find ways to solve problems Ex: Why do insects congregate (gather) around bright lights? Ex: How does the bat locate insects in the dark?

Step 3 – Perform Research Collecting background information about the subject Helps you find out what questions still need to be answered. Reliable research sources: Internet sites that are updated daily News outlet sites Government or university websites Peer reviewed professional journals **BEWARE BIAS – the tendency to present inaccurate or unreasonable judgment for personal gain.

Step 4 – Form a Hypothesis An educated guess based on observed patterns over time. Inductive reasoning: use observations of specific events to make a hypothesis about general trends. Ex: Jill notices each time she throws a ball up, it comes down. She inductively reasons that next time she throws the ball up, it will come down. Deductive reasoning: use a general truth to hypothesize particular events. Ex: Cory uses deductive reasoning to say, “That’s Newton’s Theory of Gravity – what goes up, must come down. So next time you throw the ball up, it will certainly come down.”

Step 5 – Test the Hypothesis A scientific experiment gives measurable results which prove or disprove the hypothesis. ONE variable is tested at a time. Independent variable – the factor that is changed by the researcher on purpose Dependent variable – the factor that changes because of the independent variable; the factor that is measured or counted. Control variables – all the other factors that are kept constant (not changed) during the experiment

Step 6 – Collecting & Presenting Data Data is gathered from observations & measurements taken during an experiment. Qualitative data: observations made with your senses; cannot be represented with numbers. Ex: shades of colors, tastes, smells, etc. Quantitative data: measurements that are expressed as numbers Ex: length, weight, mass, volume, time, temperature, etc.

Step 7 – Drawing Conclusions Conclusion – a judgment based on observation & experimentation. A logical statement made from the results of the experiment.