Scientific Method Orderly and systematic approach to solving

*Scientific Method: Orderly and systematic approach to solving a problem Not all the steps are always completed or done in order.

* 1. Identify or define the problem(question) 2. Gather Information about the problem. 3. Form a hypothesis- an educated guess. A testable prediction for the outcome of the problem. * Should be stated as an “if-then-because” statement

Experiment - a setup or model that tests the hypothesis 4. a. Variables- The factor being tested; changeable factors b. Control: the standard for comparison. The part of the experiment that does not contain the variable being tested c. Independent variable factor being tested. What YOU change i. Graphed on the X axis ii. There should be one independent variable d. Dependent Variable factor that changes in response to the independent variable. Depends on the I. V. should be graphed on the Y axis

e. Controlled experiment: an experiment that tests only one variable at a time. All other variables are kept constant f. Experimental group: part of the experiment that contains the I. V. (aka experimental setup) g. All experiments should have a minimum of 3 trials of each setup

5. Organize data and analyze results. Create tables, graphs, illustrations, photos, etc. 6. Draw a conclusion (Determine if your experiment supported your hypothesis or not). Report your results

*Theory: an explanation backed by results obtained by repeated tests and experiments *Law: “rule of Nature” describes behavior of something in nature * Newton’s Laws of Motion * Law of Gravitation * Law of superposition (in layers of undisturbed rock, oldest rocks are farther down