1. a planned, organized approach to solving a problem
Scientific Method
a planned, organized approach to solving a problem

2. 1. Define a problem Decide what you want to know
Often involves research
Put in form of a question

3. Ex. How are firefly squid affected by below-normal salt levels in sea water?

4. 2. Make a hypothesis
Hypothesis – an educated guess to a question that can be answered by an experiment
Ex. Death rates of firefly squid will be higher in sea water with below-normal salt levels.

5. 3. Design an experiment
a good scientific experiment only tests one variable
variables are the factors that change in an experiment

6. Independent variable – variable that is changed by experimenter
ex. Salt levels
Dependent variable – variable that changes if the independent variable is changed
Ex. Squid death rates

7. Constants – factors that do not change in the experiment
Ex. Water temperature
Control – test group used to show that experimental results are due to the condition being tested
Ex. Group in normal sea water

8. 4. Gather Data
Make observations of what is happening in the experiment
Record the observations
Collect as much as possible

9. 5. Analyze results Organize the results in graphs, tables and charts
Look for trends or patterns
Compare the data with the hypothesis

10. 6. Make a conclusion
May need to change the hypothesis to fit the results
Were there any problems that might have given bad results?

11. 7. Repeat Multiple trials are necessary to prove results are valid
Others should also be able to reproduce your results