1. VFMS 2014 Mrs. Long

2.  Whenever you observe your world around you, you are acting like a scientist.  Scientists do more than observe, they also question what they see.  Scientists also attempt to find the answers to their questions.

4. There are many forms of the scientific methods, but they all model around the same basic steps.

5. A. State the Problem / Observations ◦ Develop a clear statement that defines the problem. ◦ The act of noticing and describing events in a careful orderly manner.  Inference ◦ A logical interpretation based on an observation  Not based on a direct observation

6. B. Form a Hypothesis ◦ A scientific explanation for a set of observations that can be tested. ◦ Can either be SUPPORTED or REJECTED by the results of an experiment.

7. C. Perform an experiment ◦ Design tests that will either support or reject the hypothesis. ◦ One or more experiments may be done to test the hypothesis ◦ Experiments are conducted according to specific rules. ◦ Typically a controlled experiment is conducted.

8.  Is defined as an experiment where only ONE variable is changed. ◦ Types of variables  Independent variable (manipulated/changed )  That which is deliberately changed.  Graphed on the X axis  Dependent variable (measured)  That which is watched to see how it responds  Graphed on the Y axis

9.  Types of groups ◦ Control Group (Control setup)  Normal conditions  Nothing manipulated/changed -Experimental Group (experimental setup)  Same as the control except ONE variable has been purposely changed

10. D. Collect and Analyze Data ◦ In any experiment, scientists must record important information. Observations and measurements are called Data. ◦ Typically scientists will construct graphs, models, charts or tables to record the data. ◦ This allows scientists to visually compare the data.

11. E. Form a conclusion ◦ Typically, results from one experiment are not enough to reach a conclusion. Many experiments must be run. (several trials) ◦ The conclusion will either support or reject the hypothesis.

12.  Supported hypothesis – a theory can be produced  Rejected hypothesis- a new hypothesis can be stated and tested.  A scientific Law results when a scientific theory has been tested many, many times and is generally accepted as true.