The Scientific Method

OBJECTIVE: OBJECTIVE:

The Scientific Method What is the scientific method? -The scientific method is a systematic way to answer questions.

6 steps of the Scientific Method -There are 6 steps in the scientific method: 1. State the Problem 2. Form a Hypothesis 3. Design an experiment 4. Collect and Analyze Data 5. Draw Conclusion 6. Communicate

1. State the problem -Observe and ask a question.

State the problem -Observe the room. State the problem: Why is it so dark in the room?

2. Gather Information -Do research about your question.

Gather Information State the Problem: Why is it so dark in the room? Gather Information: Why is it usually dark in rooms. Think about the number of windows the room has, whether or not the lights are on, etc.

3. Form a hypothesis -A hypothesis is an educated guess about the question you asked. A hypothesis must always be: 1. Testable-This means that you can do an experiment to test your hypothesis. 2. Fact-based-A statement such as “God exists” is not fact-based, it’s based on opinion, and therefore can not be a hypothesis.

Form a Hypothesis State the Problem: Why is it so dark in the room? Gather Information: There are no lights on, there is only one window. Hypothesis: It is dark in this room because the lights are turned off.

4. Test your hypothesis -Do an experiment to test your hypothesis. In an experiment you need several things: 1. Materials- what you used in the experiment 2. Procedure-the steps (how you did the experiment) 3. Constant-what isn’t changed in the experiment 4. Variable-what is changed in an experiment 5. Control-a group that is unchanged

Test the Hypothesis: Problem: Why is it so dark in the room? Gather Information: No lights, no windows. Hypothesis: It’s dark in the room because the lights are turned off. Test Hypothesis: Perform an experiment- turn the lights on and see if the room lights up.

Test the hypothesis In the “turn the lights on” experiment, What materials do you need? Students, Room BSL 3, Lights

Test the hypothesis In the “turn the lights on” experiment, What procedure would you follow? 1. Have someone get up and turn on the lights.

In the “turn the lights on” experiment, In the “turn the lights on” experiment, What would your constants be? -The room would be the constant because it wouldn’t change.

Test your hypothesis -In an experiment, you have two variables. -The Independent Variable (IV) is the variable that you change. -The Dependent Variable (DV) is the variable that you observe and measure the results of.

Test the hypothesis In the “turn the lights on” experiment, In the “turn the lights on” experiment, What would be your independent variable? -The light What would be your dependent variable? -Whether or not the room gets lit up.

Test your hypothesis -Two things can affect the outcome of your experiment: 1. Error-your equipment doesn’t work, or you mess up an experiment causing the results to be wrong. 2. Bias-you expect something to happen in an experiment and this messes up your data. -You should always repeat experiments to make sure that your results are valid and not based on error or bias.

5. Collect and Analyze Data -After you experiment, you need to collect the data into charts and then analyze that data by making graphs.

Collecting and Analyzing Data -Data is the information you get from an experiment. -There are two kinds of data: Qualitative-word based (Ex:Tall, pretty) Quantitative-number based (Ex: 6ft, 150lbs) -When you collect data, you must be precise and accurate. Precise-measurements are close together Accurate-measurements are close to the actual answer

Qualitative vs. Quantitative If I say a man is 6’4”, is that qualitative or quantitative? If I say a man is handsom, is that qualitative or quantitative?

6. Draw Conclusions -Look at your data and decide whether your hypothesis was correct or incorrect. A good conclusion has three parts: 1. Rejecting/accepting hypothesis 2. Sources of error 3. Follow up experiments