Scientific Method The scientific method is an organized

Scientific Method • The scientific method is an organized plan for gathering, organizing, and communicating information. • The goal of any scientific method is to solve a problem or to better understand an observed event.

Observation • 1. Observation – is information you obtain with your senses. • What do you see? • What do you hear? • What do you smell? • What do you feel? • What do you taste? observation

What you see • The most direct way to gain knowledge about something in nature is to observe it. • Your ability to observe can be extended by using tools such as microscopes, telescopes, thermometers, and rulers.

What you smell • Many times scientists can identify the presence of a chemical, bacteria, or plant by its scent.

Can you identify the smell in the containers?

Good Smells

Touch and Feel Texture –rough or smooth

Taste • Determining concentration through taste

What do you hear? • Scientist record sounds • Sounds of animals to determine how species communicate with each other.

Making a Question • After evaluating your observations, ask a question. What do you want to find out? State the problem as a question. Make the question as specific as possible. • Step_One__Ask_a_Question

Hypothesis • A hypothesis is a proposed answer to the question you formulated. • A hypothesis is an educated guess at the possible answer to the question. • What do you think is the cause of the problem you are studying? State a logical answer to your question. This answer, which is your hypothesis, should give one possible explanation for the cause. Step_Two__Form_a_Hypothesis

Hypothesize

Planned Experiment • Scientist perform experiments to test their hypothesis. • An experiment must be accurate and précised in order to be reproducible. • Accuracy – the closeness of a measurement to the true value of what is measured. • Precision – is a gauge of how exact a measurement is. In other words, to you get the same results each time or are the measurement values very close each time you measure.

Plan Your Experiment • The goal of an experiment is to test your hypothesis. What is the variable? What will be the control? Write a clear step-by-step procedure so that another person can repeat the same process

Components of an Experiment • Variable – in an experiment any factor that can change is called a variable. • Manipulated Variable – the variable that causes a change in another. • Responding Variable – the variable that changes in response to the manipulated variable. • Control Experiment – has two test groups- the control group and the experimental group. The control group is the standard by which any change can be measured.

Vocabulary • Constant – The factors that are kept the same. • Variable – The factor that is changed by the person doing the experiment • Investigative tools

Researching an Experiment • List the materials necessary to conduct the experiment • Design the steps and procedures for the experiment. • Design how data will be collected.

Analyze Data • Evaluate – Do you see any trends or patterns in the data? Do the data support your hypothesis or prediction? Do you need more information? Step_Four__Analyze_the_Results_of_the_Experiment

Drawing a Conclusion • State your conclusion based on your data. Your data should either support your conclusion or lead you to another hypothesis. Have any new questions or problems come up? • . Step_Five__Draw_a_Conclusion

Chart

Presentation of Data • Information obtain from observation can be presented in a variety of forms to make it easier for the viewer to obtain facts quickly. • Graphs and charts present are some ways to organize and present data.

Review • The_Five_Steps_of_the_Scientific_Method