What’s So Scientific About The Scientific Method?

How Scientists Work: Solving the Problems How Scientists Work: Solving the Problems MMMMuch of science deals with solving problems NNNNo matter what types of problems are being studied, scientists use the same problem-solving steps called… TTTThe Scientific Method

Scientific Method Definition Scientific Method Definition TTTThe scientific method is- AAAA logical and systematic approach or process to problem solving. TTTThere can be variations in the steps, but they all follow the same general format.

Scientific Method Scientific Method YYYYou may see different versions of the scientific method, but they all have the same basic steps:

Scientific Method Listing the Steps Scientific Method Listing the Steps MMMMake an Observation DDDDefine the Problem RRRResearch the Problem SSSState the Hypothesis EEEExperiment to test Hypothesis CCCCollect and Record Data AAAAnalyze Data DDDDraw Conclusions RRRReport Results If needed, Do more investigation

Using the Scientific Method  The really cool thing about the scientific method is that it can be used to solve all kinds of problems, not just science.  It is really just a tool for solving problems.  Let’s look at an example.

1. Observing 1. Observing  You sit down at your desk and you try to turn your desk lamp on but it does not work.

2. Identify Problem 2. Identify Problem RRRRecognize, state or define the problem MMMMust be in the form of a question TTTThe obvious question is: WWWWhy isn’t my desk light turning on?

3. Researching 3. Researching  Gather information related to the problem:  1. Lamps need electricity.  2. Lamps need working light bulbs.  3. Lamps need working switches  4. Lamps need continuous wiring.

4. Hypothesizing 4. Hypothesizing AAAA hypothesis is: AAAAn educated guess, trial answer, possible solution, prediction MMMMust be a statement MMMMust be testable or measurable IIIIs based on your research and previous experience

Hypothesizing Hypothesizing LLLList possible explanations (alternative hypotheses) based on your previous experience (what you already know); and on research you have done aaaall of the hypotheses must be testable and reasonable.

Hypothesizing Hypothesizing  Here are some possible explanations for this problem:  1. the lamp is not plugged in  2. the bulb is burned out  3. the lamp is broken  4. a demon has put a curse on your lamp  5. something you haven't thought of yet

5. Experimenting 5. Experimenting  Testing the hypothesis  Pick the hypothesis that makes the most sense and is easiest to test  Then design a controlled experiment

5. Experimenting  Okay, let's choose option #1 since it is the easiest: oops! the lamp is already plugged in!  Okay, so we can throw away option #1 and go to the next easiest option, #2, as our alternative explanation for why the lamp does not work (and so on).

5. Experimenting  Do we need to test option 4?  Is it a reasonable explanation?  Can it even be tested?  Sometimes we can eliminate a possible hypothesis because it doesn’t stand up to critical analysis and the “reasonableness” test.

Let’s Practice  A man lives on the tenth floor of his apartment building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the first floor and goes to work. In the evenings, he takes the elevator to the sixth floor and walks up the remaining four flights of steps. Why does he do this? (Why not take the elevator to the tenth floor?)

Let’s Do More Research  So far, none of our proposed hypotheses seem to make sense.  Maybe we need to do more research and collect more data.  So, we take a field trip to the man’s building, and we inspect the elevator. This is what we see.

Additional Research Data

 Maybe that’s not enough to figure it out.  Maybe we need to meet the man too!!

Additional Research Data The man on the right is the man who lives in our building.

Assignment Make a Scientific Method Poster List all steps in the Scientific Method and a brief description of what they are and why they are important.