1. Scientific Method

2. I. State your problem: Your problem should be easy to understand and simple. It should be in the form of a question. It should not start with “Why”.

3. Example: Which laundry detergent gets out grass stains the best?

4. II. Research your problem:

5. A. Examples: 1. Recalling things you already know

6. 2. Talking to an expert

7. 3. reading books, and encyclopedias

8. 4. searching the internet .gov or.edu are best — avoid.com

9. III. Develop a Hypothesis:  Use research to decide what you think the results of your experiment will be. It should be in the form of an answer.

10. Example: Jesse believed that Tide would work best because it was the most expensive

11. IV. Write your procedure:  This includes writing a list of materials needed, and listing what steps you are going to take to solve your problem. It is just like writing a recipe.

12. Example: Jesse stained 4 shirts with grass. Then Jesse washed one with Tide, one with Cheer, one with All and one without any detergent at all

13. V. Experiment: A. All experiments should only have one variable. A variable is the factor that is being tested. More than one will lead to false results.

14. Example: Jesse used different types of detergent. Jesse used different types of detergent.

15. B. To make sure that your results are not caused by a hidden factor, a Control should be used. A control experiment is run the same as your testing experiment, it just does not include a variable.

16. Example: Jesse washed one shirt without detergent (water only). Jesse washed one shirt without detergent (water only).

17. VI. Record and Analyze data: Look at test results so that you understand what they mean. Graphs and charts help you to do this.

18. Types of Graphs TideAllCheerWater 1 st 50%60%20%10% 2 nd 30%55%40%45% 3rd40%25%45%50% 4th50%60%45%60%

19. Graphs are used to organize and analyze collected data. There are four types of graphs that are typically used in science: Data Table = used to organize collected data for easier analysis Line graph = used to show any change of data collected over time Bar graph = used to compare different variables in an experiment Pie or Circle graph = used to compare percentages

20. VII. Stating a conclusion: This is the answer to your problem.