The Scientific Method 1 State the Purpose State

The Scientific Method

1. State the Purpose • State what you are going to investigate.

2. Gather Information • Info needed to understand the purpose and make a prediction. – Research – Math equations

3. Form a Hypothesis • Prediction based on the info collected (Educated guess) with a WHY.

4. Test the Hypothesis • Experiment: test the effect of one thing on another. – Independent Variable: Variable that is changed to test the effect it has – Dependent Variable: Variable that changes due to the IV – Control: Standard by which the test results can be compared. • Include list of materials and a procedure.

5. Record and Analyze Data • Record and organize data in a table or graph • Analyze the data (What does it tell you? )

6. Conclusion • State what you found. • Use the data (numbers) to support your conclusion. • Was your hypothesis correct? • Discuss possible sources of error.

Paper Clip Game • Purpose: • Info gathered: • Hypothesis:

Game Cont… • Experiment: • Record/Analyze Data: • Conclusion:

Gum Lab • Purpose: Determine which brand of gum keeps its flavor the longest. • Information: • Hypothesis:

Experiment: Independent Variable: Dependent Variable:

Data:

Conclusion: • • Write a short paragraph that includes the following items: Which brand kept its flavor the longest? Use data to support your findings (include #’s) Was your hypothesis correct? Include a possible error that could have occurred to throw off the data.