Steps of The Scientific Method 1 PurposeQuestion Why

Steps of The Scientific Method 1. Purpose/Question (Why we are doing the experiment) 2. Background Information (What do we already know that will help us) 3. Hypothesis (What do you predict will happen – be specific) 4. Experiment (do the lab) 5. Data/Analysis (what did results of the experiment mean) 6. Conclusion (Present Finding and restate hypothesis)

The Scientific Method • The set of procedures by which scientists learn about the world. • Observations • Learning about the natural world and the principles that explain these facts through the 5 senses. • Reasoning • Induction: Using several separate observations to arrive at general principles. • Deduction: Reasoning from general principles to specific conclusions.

The Scientific Method (cont’d) • Constructing the Hypothesis • A statement about the world that might be true and is testable (can be proven right or wrong). • Testing a Hypothesis/Experiment • Scientists create situations to test hypotheses instead of relying on simple observations of nature. • Independent Variable: The factor that is being tested and is changed. • Dependent Variable: The factor that is responding to the changes of the independent variable. • Constant: The factor that remains constant so that it does not affect the experiment.

The Scientific Method (cont’d) • Scientific Theory • A hypothesis that has been so welltested, it is regarded as true • Scientific theory can be proven false if there is enough evidence to disprove it. • Scientific Law • Well-tested • Regarded as true • Can be shown using MATH