Scientific Method Chapter 1: Section 2 How Scientists Work Notes

Observation vs Inference Observation  The act of noticing and describing events or processes in an organized way.  Using your senses  The object is red  The object smells fruity Inference  A logical interpretation based on what scientists already know.  The organism is an aquatic organism  The cat is on fire

List 3 Questions based on your observations and inferences: Step 1: State the Question

Step #2 State the Hypothesis:   Hypothesis: “An educated guess”  a middle school definition   Hypothesis: A scientific explanation for a set of observations that can be tested and can be proved or disproved   ***The hypothesis should include the manipulated variable (independent) and responding variable (dependent) ***

Step 3: Design a Controlled Experiment TermDefinition Example Controlled Experiment: An experiment where only 1 variable changes Controlled Variable: All parts of the experiment that are the same. Manipulated Variable: The variable that is being deliberately changed. Responding Variable: What is being measured…. Aka your data for the experiment. Control:The experiment ran under normal conditions.

Step 3: Design a Controlled Experiment TermDefinition Example Controlled Experiment: An experiment where only 1 variable changes Miracle grow is added to plant A and all other variables are the same. Controlled Variable: All parts of the experiment that are the same. Amount of water, soil, sunlight, etc. Manipulated Variable: The variable that is being deliberately changed.Miracle grow Responding Variable: What is being measured…. Aka your data for the experiment. Plant growth Control:The experiment ran under normal conditions. Plant with only normal soil. (This is used for comparison purposes)

Step 4: Gather and Analyze Data Qualitative Data Quantitative Data Definition: Characteristic Value Definition: Numeric Value Examples:red, softball-sized, cold, violent reaction Example:1 mL, 2,000 meters, 10 inches

Step 5: Make a Conclusion Your conclusion should include the following: A bold sentence stating whether you prove or disprove your hypothesis Explain any experimental errors List improvements Change your hypothesis that you could retest (if you proved your hypothesis wrong) or explain how you could use your hypothesis to come up with another experiment to test (if you proved your hypothesis right) Try writing a conclusion based on the miracle grow experiment!