SCIENTIFIC METHOD

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY  A Process that involves many steps to complete an inquiry

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY 1.Ask questions based on curiosity and observations 2.Gather information 3.Identify the problem 4.Form a hypothesis 5.Perform an experiment/investigation 6.Analyze data 7.Draw conclusions 8.Revise hypothesis or repeat experiment to support hypothesis

1. Ask questions based on curiosity and observations  Find an interesting topic you like to learn about or investigate a topic given to you by your teacher

2. Gather information  Information gathered can be either a) QUALITATIVE: an observation where only words (no numbers) are used b) QUANTITATIVE: an observation that uses numbers Can you make a qualitative and quantitative observation about our classroom?

3. Identify the problem  What exactly are we going to be testing or investigating?

4. Form a hypothesis HYPOTHESIS: a statement about an idea that you can test, based on your observations - The test will involve comparing two things to find the relationship between them. Ex: Can you form a hypothesis about the relationship between temperature and the state of water?

5. Perform an experiment or investigation  Performing an experiment or investigation requires identifying variables, designing a fair test, and organizing data VARIABLES: all the factors that can affect the test being conducted - To make a fair test, it is important to test only one variable at a time a)INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: The variable that you change b)DEPENDENT VARIABLE: The responding variable c)CONTROL: a test with no variables

5. Perform an experiment or investigation For each example, identify the control, your independent variable and your dependent variable Ex: Does light travel the same way through different substances? Ex: Does adding compost to soil promote vegetable growth? Ex: How effective are various kinds of mosquito repellent?

6. Analyze Data  Record and organize your data. Ex: table  After recording your data, the next step is to present your data in a format so that you can analyze it. Ex: graph

7. Draw conclusions  Form a statement that indicates whether your results support or do not support your hypothesis

8. Revise hypothesis or repeat experiment to support experiment  If your hypothesis is supported, repeat your experiment several times to validate your results  If your hypothesis is not supported, use what you have learned to come up with a new hypothesis to test  THEORY: When a hypothesis has been thoroughly tested and nearly all scientists agree that the results support the hypothesis