The Scientific Method Scientific Method n The Scientific

The Scientific Method

Scientific Method n The Scientific Method is a series of steps scientists use to answer questions and solve problems.

8 Steps 1. Ask a Question—find something you are curious about 2. Purpose—why are you interested in answering your question; who would care about what you find out? You need a question that is measureable and meaningful.

8 steps continued 3. Research your question—find facts that inform you about your question & help you make a hypothesis 4. Form a Hypothesis—an educated guess based on the facts you looked up

8 steps continued 5. Test the Hypothesis by performing an experiment 6. Analyze Results—look at your data

Final 8 steps 7. Draw Conclusions—decide if you were correct based on your data 8. Communicate Results

Pneumonic to remember the steps: Queens probably rarely have egg and doughnut cereal. Queens—question Probably—purpose Rarely—research Have—hypothesis Egg—experiment And—analyze data Doughnut—draw conclusions Cereal—communicate results

Question • • Pick a question/problem that is interesting to you Pick one that doesn’t involve testing on humans, with bacteria, explosives, or most weapons

Purpose n n What’s the point in doing your project? Pick a project that will be meaningful (helpful to many people, improving their lives, or solving problems/curing disease) and measurable with a metric unit of measurement. Bad example: Which ketchup brand comes out of the bottle faster? Good example: Which type of shingle resists high speed winds longer?

RESEARCH n You are looking for information that supports your hypothesis. n Research consists of information found in the following places: n n n Books Magazines Newspapers Encyclopedias Websites Interviews of experts

Form A Hypothesis n A hypothesis is a clear statement about what you think will happen based on your observations & research about your question. n A hypothesis is an educated guess. n Examples: n n A frozen tennis ball will bounce higher than a room temperature tennis ball. Acid rain will cause plants to grow more slowly than tap water.

Test your Hypothesis n Gather materials n Perform your experiment many times n Why? You have to make sure what you found out is true and not just luck. n Record data in data tables

Recording Data n Your data should be collected as soon as you get results, this will vary depending on your project. n You will use the metric system to take measurements. n Examples: n Meters/Centimeters n Seconds n Liters/milliliters n Grams/Kilograms n DO NOT USE INCHES, FEET, CUPS, POUNDS as these are English units not metric units.

Recording Data in Metric Units n The System International or Metric System is used by scientists all over the world. n Standard units of measurement: (You must know these. ) Length = meter n Volume (amount of liquid) = liter n Mass (weight) = gram n Time = second n

Analyze Results n Organize your data using graphs and tables n Then, explain those graphs in writing.

Draw Conclusions n You will discuss whether or not your results supported your hypothesis. n If your results do not support your hypothesis, you need to try to explain what could have happened in the experiments to influence your results.

Communicate Results n . You will present your findings in order for your experiment to have accomplished anything - if you cured cancer but didn’t report it then you didn’t do anything.