1. Otherwise known as SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
The Scientific Method
Otherwise known as SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

2. Science A way of knowing things ( a METHOD) A body of knowledge
Based on observations, evidence, experimentation, postulating theories, sharing results with other scientists
Censored until chapter 33

3. Observation
Observation: Things you directly use your senses for. Your 5 senses include:
sight
hearing
touch
taste
smell

4. Inference
Based on observations, you formulate a prediction or come to a conclusion using your brain.

5. The Method, the Process The Observation, leading to…
The Problem: A question you want answered….end it with a ?
Research (optional)
The Hypothesis: If…then…statement. An educated guess as to the answer to your problem
Experimentation
Collect and analyze data
Conclusion: was your hypothesis right?
Share results, re-do experiment, peer review

6. Experimentation
Before the experiment, you must develop a RESEARCH PLAN which involves:
Finding background info
Developing a hypothesis
Designing the experiment
Funding?

7. Experimental Design
A good experiment should have only one condition which changes at a time. This is called the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE, and is plotted on the X-axis of graphs
A change brought about by you tweaking the independent variable is called the DEPENDENT VARIABLE, and is plotted on the Y-axis of your graph

8. More Experimental Design
It is important to keep all other possible variables constant while you examine the effects of the one you’re studying. Called…….?
You should also have a group set up to compare your experimental setup to. It’s exactly the same BUT, it’s missing the Independent variable. This is called the CONTROL GROUP
The SAMPLE SIZE is how many subjects will be tested
To make an experiment more VALID and RELIABLE, it should have a large sample size, and repeated many times

9. Sample Experiment
I wanted to see if Gatorade ingestion leads to faster marathon times than drinking water. So I got 50 runners to enter into my experiment. Half hydrated with water, half with Gatorade.
What data will be collected?
What are the dependent/Independent variables?
What will your graph look like?
What is the sample size?
What is a reasonable hypothesis?