What is it? What steps do scientists use to conduct experiments? The Scientific Method What is it? What steps do scientists use to conduct experiments?
Thinking like a scientist… Observe! Use your senses to gather information. Infer! Try to explain the things that you have observed in a reasonable way. Predict! Make a guess of what will happen that is based on experiences and/or evidence.
We are learning 1 way today in class… The Scientific Method The scientific method is process that is used to find answers to questions about the world around us. There is not just ONE method to follow, but different ways to think and solve problems… We are learning 1 way today in class…
Step 1: PURPOSE State the questions or problems that have come from observations and inferences, or maybe just from your curiosity. The problem or purpose is the reason you are performing the experiment.
Class Purpose example: What is the class’s favorite _______? Which college football team is going to win the championship this year? How many licks does it take to get to the center of the Tootsie Roll Pop?
Step 2: RESEARCH Gather info using your senses Question what you know, facts, etc Think about how to test your problem/purpose Could do actual research online, using a book, or an expert
Class Research example: Write down what you think the possible answers might be Think about facts you already know or ideas you have
Step 3: HYPOTHESIS An educated GUESS that you think will answer your problem or purpose that was stated in step 1. The hypothesis must be testable so that you can carry out an experiment to support or disprove it.
Class Hypothesis example The class’s favorite ____ will be ____.
Step 4: EXPERIMENT Create and Perform an Experiment: Write the steps you will follow in the experiment (This is the hands-on portion of the scientific method.)
Experiment cont’d… In a controlled experiment the scientist creates the conditions to test the hypothesis. Variables are factors that may be changed in the experiment. There are two types of variables: Independent Variable (Manipulated Variable)-The scientist manipulates or changes this variable during the experiment. Dependent Variable (Responding Variable)-variable that changes or responds to the changes in the independent variable
Class Experiment example Steps: 1. Draw a table/box to collect tally marks 2. Carefully label the possible answers 3. Ask each student in class to answer the question and record their answer as a tally
Step 5: ANALYZE DATA Data = facts, figures, and other evidence gathered throughout the observations. Data is represented in tables and graphs.
Class Data example Draw a bar graph to show the responses of the tally marks Label each bar to match the possible answer choices Your bar graph is a visual way of showing the responses.
Step 6: CONCLUSION Write a paragraph to communicate what you have learned from the experiment. Tell whether your hypothesis was supported (yes, the responses turned out like you thought they would) or refuted (shown false). Either way, it is a valuable experiment! NEVER go back & change your hypothesis!
Class Conclusion example I hypothesized that the class’s favorite ____ would be ____. Based on the data collected in class, the class’s favorite ____ was ____. This data (supported/refuted) my hypothesis.
HINT for remembering the correct order of the steps…PREACH… P – Problem / Purpose R – Research **** E – Experiment A – Analyze Data C – Conclusion H - Hypothesis ****(MAKE SURE TO MOVE IT UP TO THE CORRECT STEP!!!)****
The Scientific Method Step 1: Purpose. What is the class’s favorite __? Step 2: Research. (Think about & make a list of possible answers & narrow down to 3) Step 3: Hypothesis. (Educated guess) The class’s favorite _ will be __. Step 4: Experiment. (Make tally data table, ask peers your question, record tallies). Step 5: Analyze Data. (Turn tally results into a bar graph to visually show data). Step 6: Conclusions. (Write paragraph: Restate hypothesis, Tell what your data showed, Tell whether hypothesis was supported or refuted)