Scientific Method By: Pam Reid

Purpose  Is a statement about the objective of the experiment.  Example: To determine if a basketball will bounce higher on a wooden floor or a concrete floor dropped from 1 meter in height.

Hypothesis  This is an educated guess about the outcome of the experiment before testing. It should include an if…then statement.  Example: If comparing a wooden floor to a concrete floor then the basketball will bounce higher on the wooden floor dropped from 1 meter.

Procedure  This is the step by step instructions on how to perform the experiment. Number each step. How much of each item must be included. How to use each item must be included.  Example: 1. Lift a regulation size basketball exactly 1 meter from the wooden floor.  2. Release the ball with out any added pressure.  3. Using a meter stick have an extra person measure the height of the first bounce.  4. Repeat this step 2 more times and find an average.

Results  This is a short explanation of the outcome of the experiment using the data collected.  Example: The data shows that the basketball bounced on average 40 cm higher on a wooden floor than on a concrete floor.

Conclusion  This is a statement telling if the hypothesis was proven true or false and explains why.  Example: The hypothesis was proven true. The basketball bounced on average 40 cm higher on the wooden floor than on the concrete floor.