1. Scientific Method

2. Science is a process we use to gain knowledge and make discoveries
What is science?
Making observations and carrying out experiments to learn how things happen
Science is a process we use to gain knowledge and make discoveries

3. To satisfy our curiosity and understand the world around us
Why do we do it?
To satisfy our curiosity and understand the world around us
To solve problems

4. Scientific Method Observe and State a Problem Form a Hypothesis
Test the Hypothesis
Record and Analyze Data
Form a Conclusion
Repeat the Experiment

5. Curiosity and Interest
Observe a Problem
Curiosity and Interest
Must be answerable by science
Word your question appropriately
State a Problem
Humans are naturally curious – check out a 3-year old exploring their surroundings and asking questions
Adults aren’t much different than children in this respect
We have lots of questions and I encourage you to ask yours without reserve. Any questions you have are probably common to many in the room
Some questions are not answerable by science – “Why am I here?” involves faith and some reason behind our existence
The question can be reworded to “How did I get here”, which can be answered by science and has been – evolution has been thoroughly studied…
Another example – “which came first the chicken or the egg?” vs. “which came first, the chicken egg or the chicken?”

6. Observe and State a Problem
I haven’t been getting good grades on tests this year.
Problem: What factors could affect my test scores?
How do leaves change color is too broad…there are many different types of trees that change color. How can we fix this? Make it more specific and choose 1 tree.

7. Scientific Method Observe and State a Problem Form a Hypothesis
Test the Hypothesis
Record and Analyze Data
Form a Conclusion
Repeat the Experiment

8. What is a hypothesis An explanation for your problem!
Think of some possible explanations for the stated problem
Can be wrong or right
Must be testable
Must be based on prior knowledge (no blind guessing)
Whether or not your hypothesis is correct is not the most important thing.
You will use the rest of the scientific method to test and validate your hypothesis.
The most important thing is the conclusion you make at the end of your process.
Testable – “our universe is surrounded by another, larger universe, with which we have absolutely no contact”
Rejectable – “there are other inhabited planets in the universe” vs. “any two objects dropped from the same height above earth will hit the ground at the same time, as long as air resistance is not a factor”
For example – the gravity hypothesis…you’d have to show that every single pair of objects hit the ground at the same time…that is impossible
This is where the term theory comes in…in science a theory is a well-tested hypothesis that has a lot of evidence in its favor. There is no way to prove some things correct, but there are enough cases where the hypothesis is true, that we think of it as being true (call it a theory – theory of evolution, theory of gravity)

9. Bad test scores Possible explanations? Amount of sleep?
Amount of studying?
Breakfast or not?
Amount of studying affects my test scores
Hypothesis: a change in temperature is related to a change in leave color? NO...more specific

10. Scientific Method Observe and State a Problem Form a Hypothesis
Test the Hypothesis
Record and Analyze Data
Form a Conclusion
Repeat the Experiment

11. Test your Hypothesis Test through observation (evolution)
Test through experimentation
Provide evidence for or against hypothesis

12. Test your hypothesis Manipulated variable: Responding variable:
Changed by scientist
You think it affects the results of your experiment
Responding variable:
Observed or measured during the experiment (results)
You think it is affected by the manipulated variable

13. Test your hypothesis Bad grade example:
Manipulated =
Responding =
Must only change ONE variable (that’s the manipulated variable)

14. Test your hypothesis Controlled variables:
All factors that stay the same between all groups
“Constants”
“Bad grades” controlled variables =

15. Test your hypothesis Control Group:
Set of trials used to make sure no outside variables are affecting your results
Used as a comparison for your experimental trials
“What happens normally – with no change?”
You know what should happen
Why wouldn’t you want to test more than 1 variable at once and how do you know what that variable should be? The hypothesis sets this up for you. The variable you test is basically the thing you think is responsible for whatever problem you’re testing.
You can isolate one variable by setting up 2 parts to the experiment – control and experimental
Control – tests the effects of all the other variables;
Experimental tests the one variable you picked out. It will be more clear when we see our tree example setup.
The control and experimental setup look exactly the same except for our one isolated variable. You won’t know which one actually caused the result you wanted if you have more than 1 thing different. If you set up it up so you’re only testing one variable, you know any differences you see are because of that one variable.
This variable is what we are testing. It is called the independent variable.
The independent variable is what we’re changing
The dependent variable is what we’re observing. This is the variable that should change between the experimental and control setup if the hypothesis is valid.
Placebo effect?

16. Test your hypothesis Experimental Group:
Set of trials where you change the manipulated variable
Compare to control group to see if there is a difference
Everything else is the same as control group (controlled variables)
Can have multiple experimental groups

17. Test your hypothesis Bad grade example:
Control group =
Experimental group =
Medicine A will lower blood pressure:

18. Scientific Method Observe and State a Problem Form a Hypothesis
Test the Hypothesis
Record and Analyze Data
Form a Conclusion
Repeat the Experiment

19. Record observations
Keep careful and frequent notes of observations (your data)
What do I mean by indicators? Things that will confirm or deny the hypothesis

20. Analyze Data Visual aids (graphs and tables)
Correlation vs. causation:
Ice cream sales and number of drowning deaths are correlated? Does eating ice cream cause you to drown?
Causation – X causes Y Red Sox game causes an increase in traffic
Common response – X and Y change in response to a 3rd variable (Ice cream and drownings occur in summer)

21. Setting up a graph

22. Scientific Method Observe and State a Problem Form a Hypothesis
Test the Hypothesis
Record and Analyze Data
Form a Conclusion
Repeat the Experiment

23. DOES THE DATA SHOW THE HYPOTHESIS TO BE FALSE OR TRUE?
Form a Conclusion
DOES THE DATA SHOW THE HYPOTHESIS TO BE FALSE OR TRUE?
If it’s false – may reject the hypothesis as wrong and start all over again with a new hypothesis
If it’s true – move on to the next step in the scientific method

24. Repeat the Experiment
Does confirmation of the hypothesis prove it to be true?
Need to repeat the experiment many times – show it did not happen by chance
Publish in journals for others to try
NO!

25. Sample size
NOT how much water you used or how much of the medicine you gave…
It’s the NUMBER OF trials you did!
In our class, we get a big sample size through class data

27. Back to hypotheses…
If manipulated variable affects responding variable, then this is my specific prediction.
Bad grade example?
Medicine example?