1. While watching commercials, a nerd notices that women go crazy for guys that wear body spray.
What step of an investigation is this?
Observation

2. The nerd reasons that women must be attracted to the smell of body spray.
What step is this?
Inference

3. Does body spray really attract women?
What step is this?
Question
Too general!
Does body spray really attract women? =
What step is next?
Background research

4. What is the purpose of this step?
Narrows down the hypothesis X X X X

5. “If I wear Axe body spray, women will be attracted to me.”
What step is this?
Hypothesis
Very specific!
“If I wear Axe body spray, women will be attracted to me.” + =

6. + What step is this? Experiment What is the purpose of this step?
To test the hypothesis

7. Is the data quantitative or qualitative? Quantitative
What step is this?
Data
N = 12
Is the data quantitative or qualitative?
Quantitative
Number of kisses can be counted

8. + = What step is this? What is the nerd’s conclusion? Conclusion
His hypothesis was supported + =
What was the nerd’s conclusion based on?
Data (number of kisses)

9. NERD NEWS AXE BODY SPRAY TOTALLY WORKS!
What step is this?
What is the purpose of this step?
Report results
So that others nerds can repeat the experiment
NERD NEWS
AXE BODY SPRAY TOTALLY WORKS!
Nerds around the world overjoyed, slightly nervous.
Axe Body Spray sales at all-time high!

10. Why do other nerds need to repeat the experiment?
To make it a theory

11. The first experiment was a success, but the results could have been due to an experimental error.

12. What if I told you that the nerd arrived at the party in a ferrari?

13. What if the girls at the party were exceptionally drunk that night?

14. Hypothesis vs. Theory Tested once: a supported hypothesis
Tested many times under different conditions: a theory