The Scientific Method

Scientists use experiments to test a hypothesis or answer a question

Parts of an Experiment QUESTION/PROBLEM What question is being answered, problem solved, or hypothesis tested. For example, “How many drops of water fit on a penny?”

Parts of an Experiment Hypothesis An educated guess about the results. Always support your idea with a reason! (I think that…because…) What are some hypotheses you can come up with about the penny? Write yours down!

Parts of an Experiment Materials: Items used during the experiment. What would we need for the penny experiment? Write yours down…

Parts of an Experiment Procedures: Steps followed during experiment. Write in a numbered list Should be detailed enough that anyone can follow exactly what you did. How many times you are going to do the experiment? It should be written here!

Practice Work with your tablemate to practice writing out a procedure for testing the penny experiment Be specific!

Parts of an Experiment Observations/Data: All the information gathered while performing the experiment.

Parts of an Experiment Results/Conclusions: Analyze your data to determine the final outcome of the experiment What do you NOW believe as a result of the experiment or observations? Restate your hypothesis (or at least relate your findings to it) Support your claim with at least 2 pieces of data Use good explanatory language

Practice Conclusion What should our conclusion be about how many drops of water a penny can hold? Write one for your experiment, using the above guidelines:

Parts of an Experiment Share your results: Publish your findings so that others may benefit from your work.

Controlled Experiments There are two groups in a controlled experiment: 1) Control Group: the part of the experiment that is left alone or “natural”. Used to compare back to.

Controlled Experiments There are two groups in a controlled experiment: 2) Experimental Group: the part of the experiment in which a factor or variable is changed.

Variables are parts of an experiment What is a Variable? Variables are parts of an experiment

Controlled variables (constants): What is a Variable? Controlled variables (constants): factors in an experiment that are NOT changed.

Manipulated (independent) variable: What is a Variable? Manipulated (independent) variable: factors in an experiment that are changed. Good experiments have only ONE manipulated variable.

Responding (dependent) variable: the factor that you are measuring. What is a Variable? Responding (dependent) variable: the factor that you are measuring.

Scientific Method by Brainpop

Observations & Inferences Description of objects, events May include data from all five senses (touch/texture, smell, taste, sight, sound) Could be drawings, diagrams, written words Do not include opinions.

Observations & Inferences Drawing conclusions based on observations Often provide a reason for the event/object being observed.

Scientific Method Page (Joe & The Birthday Cake) Example Scientific Method Page (Joe & The Birthday Cake)

More like a scientific law than a hypothesis. THeories More like a scientific law than a hypothesis. Explanation of a set of related observations or events based upon proven hypotheses. Unified explanation for many hypothesis supported by testing. One scientist cannot create a theory, he/she can only create a hypothesis. Examples: The theory of evolution, the theory of relativity, and the quantum theory.

Examples: The law of gravity, the law of thermodynamics. laws Summary of many experimental results and observations; a aw tells how things work. Generally accepted to be true and universal, and can sometimes be expressed in terms of a single mathematical equation. Scientific laws are similar to mathematical postulates. They don’t really need any complex external proofs; they are accepted at face value based upon the fact that they have always been observed to be true. Examples: The law of gravity, the law of thermodynamics.

Both are used to make predictions of events. similarities Both a scientific theory and a scientific law are accepted to be true by the scientific community as a whole. Both are used to make predictions of events. Both are used to advance technology.

A. Defining Science PURE APPLIED human genetics polymer science atomic theory study of the human ear APPLIED DNA fingerprinting Lycra® spandex nuclear weapons hearing aids

A. Defining Science Pure Science Applied Science (Technology) research that adds to the body of scientific knowledge has no practical use Applied Science (Technology) the practical application of scientific knowledge