THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND Parts of the experiment

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD AND Parts of the experiment

Science is Everywhere l Pure – Science Study of science solely for the advancement of knowledge l Technology – (a. k. a Applied Science) Practical use of scientific information to improve the quality of life l All of the sciences came about as a result of individuals trying to solve problems

Solving Problems l Requires a definition of a PROBLEM and a STRATEGY to determine the answer… – – l Use what you already know to make predictions Look for patterns Develop models Break problems down into smaller problems Critical Thinking – Process that uses certain skills to solve a problem

Scientific Method Series of steps used to solve a problem 1. State the Problem -- use your senses to make observations -- What do you want to find out? 2. Form a Hypothesis -- A testable prediction based on prior knowledge/observations -- What prediction do you want to test? 3. Conduct an Experiment -- organized process for testing a hypothesis -- What should you measure?

Scientific Method (continued…) 4. Analyze the Data -- results of the experiment -- What happened during the experiment? 5. Form a Conclusion -- A final statement regarding the trend of the results -- Is your hypothesis supported?

Parts of an Experiment l Control – l Constant – l Factor or variable that does not change Independent Variable – – l A standard for comparison Factor adjusted by the experimenter The one thing changed Dependent Variable – – Factor whose value depends on the independent variable The things being measured

Practice Scenario To determine the effect of ammonium sulfate on plant growth, two seed flats containing soil from a lawn were seeded using standard lawn grass mixture. One flat was watered with rainwater and the other with rainwater containing a little ammonium sulfate. The flats were kept in the same area to ensure identical conditions and temperature. DEPENDENT VARIABLE CONSTANT INDEPENDENT VARIABLE CONTROL

Another Practice Scenario Susie wants to see if a new, more costly fish food will cause fish to grow faster. She separates the fish into two groups of three fish each. Group One receives the old fish food. Group Two receives the new fish food. The lengths of the fish are measured each week. DEPENDENT VARIABLE CONSTANT INDEPENDENT VARIABLE CONTROL