Variables Key Points from Class

Powerpoint
Miss Schwartz

What does it mean to be a
scientist?
Scientists look at the world around them in
a very specific way


Key Point # 1: In order to explore the
world in a scientific way, scientists use the
scientific method


The Scientific Method
Defintion: a way of
thinking about
problems and solving
them




Key Point #2: There are 6 steps to
the Scientific Method
1. Make observations
2. State the problem
3. Form a hypothesis
4. Set up an experiment
5. Collect and analyze data
6. Draw conclusions

Today we will focus on the first
steps
1.Make an observation
-Gather detailed information about the
world around you

- Use your five senses: sight, touch,
smell, hearing, taste
2. State the problem
Ask a question about what you have
observed
Important: A scientific question must
be testable by an experiment

3. Form a hypothesis
-Find a possible explanation for your
observation
-An educated guess
Hypothesis formula:
If independent variable, then dependent
variable
Example: If I drink red bull, then I will stay up
longer.

4. Run an Experiment
A scientific experiment tests different
variables in order to find an answer to the
problem
Variables
Key Point #3: Every experiment
has two variables
Independent variable (cause)
Dependent variable (effect)
Independent Variable
The variable that you change in
an experiment

*A change in the independent variable
directly causes a change in the dependent
variable
Dependent Variable
The variable we predict will be
effected by the change in the
independent variable
This is the variable we observe and
measure the results of!!!

**What are we measuring?/What are we
trying to find??
Dependent Variable
The variable we predict will be
effected by the change in the
independent variable
This is the variable we observe and
measure the results of!!!

**What are we measuring?/What are we
trying to find??
The variables
Dependent: Number of records sold

Independent variable: Lil Wayne featured
on the record

*notice we are seeing how the independent
variable (whether Lil Wayne is featured)
affects the dependent variable (# of
records sold).