The Scientific Method

What is the Scientific Method? Click here!

What is the Scientific Method? Review!

Problem or a question. Something is needed to guide your efforts.

The next step is the research. Learn what other scientists have done.

The next step is the hypothesis. Proposed answer or solution to question or problem.

Design and do an experiment to test the hypothesis.

Identify the variable. Identify the independent and dependent variables.

Analyze your results. What do they mean?

Draw a conclusion.

If hypothesis is correct, report results.

What if hypothesis is partially correct or wrong?

Report results. My hypothesis is incorrect because …

Review what was wrong, revaluate hypothesis or experiment.

Change hypothesis or experiment.

If your hypothesis is correct, you have proved it, right?

Science does not prove, it explains.

Is this the ONLY Scientific Method? Was it written on the other side of Moses’ tablets?

No!

There is no one Scientific Method. The traditional Scientific Method has problems!

It ignores the importance of observation.

Not all changes are based on evidence. For example, better math can make more sense.

Scientists explore without hypotheses. Science does not prove, it explains.

Sometimes you can’t find an answer. Science can be creative and not follow steps.

One last observation. Hypotheses Become Theories Which Become Laws, Right?

Wrong! Let’s look at what each term means.

A Law just explains what happens. It does not tell us why it happens.

A theory is a well tested explanation for some natural phenomenon.

A hypothesis is An idea or question that can be tested.

Why do we use the Scientific Method? It is a good general explanation for how scientists work.

That’s why we use it. Just remember, there’s no such thing as a “Scientific Method.

The presentation ends here.