Investigate and Experiment

Lava flows from

an active volcano.
What Is
Science?

Science is a way of understanding the world

around us. The work of scientists often begins
when scientists ask questions about something
they observe. Asking and answering questions
is the basis of inquiry.
In this section, you will see how scientists
use inquiry skills, visual literacy, reading skills,
technology and information literacy, math skills,
and writing skills as they study volcanoes.

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 Investigation and Inquiry Skills
Experimentation These are the inquiry
skills scientists use. You
7. Scientific progress is made by asking can use these skills, too.
meaningful questions and conducting
careful investigations. As a basis Observe
for understanding this concept and
Infer
addressing the content in the other
three strands, students should develop Classify
their own questions and perform
investigations. Students will:
Measure
Use numbers
a. Develop a hypothesis.
Communicate
b. Select and use appropriate tools and
technology (including calculators, Predict
computers, balances, spring scales, Record Data
microscopes, and binoculars) to
perform tests, collect data, and Analyze Data
display data. Form a Hypothesis
c. Construct appropriate graphs Use Variables
from data and develop qualitative
statements about the relationships
Experiment
between variables. Make a Model
d. Communicate the steps and results
from an investigation in written
reports and oral presentations.

e. Recognize whether evidence

is consistent with a proposed
explanation.

f. Read a topographic map and a

geologic map for evidence provided
on the maps and construct and
interpret a simple scale map.

g. Interpret events by sequence and time

from natural phenomena (e.g., the
relative ages of rocks and intrusions).

h. Identify changes in natural

phenomena over time without
manipulating the phenomena (e.g., a
tree limb, a grove of trees, a stream, a
hillslope).

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Observation >

The diagram on this page shows what is usually

called the “scientific method.” Scientists don’t
always follow all these steps in the same order,
but they often start with an observation about
the world around us.
You, too, are constantly making observations
every moment you are awake. You might look
out the window to see if it is raining. You might
listen for the sound of thunder to find out if a
storm is coming.

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 Inquiry Skills
When you make
observations, you use
these skills.
Observe Use your
senses to learn about an
object or event.
Classify Place things
that share properties
together in groups.
Measure Find the size,
distance, time, volume,
area, mass, weight, or
Scientists are curious people who observe the world around temperature of an object
them and try to understand it. To observe means to use your or an event.
senses to learn about something. Scientists ask questions
about the things they observe. You can too. When you ask
questions about the things you see, smell, hear, taste, or feel,
you are a scientist.
This photograph shows the town of St. Pierre on the
island of Martinique. It sits at the base of Mt. Pelée, an active
volcano. Why do you think scientists might want to closely
observe this volcano?

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 Question and Hypothesis >

The work of scientists often starts with an

unanswered question. If scientists cannot find an
answer to a question, they go one step further.
They propose a possible answer that can be
tested experimentally. This is known as forming a
hypothesis. A good hypothesis must
▸ be based on what you observe.
▸ be testable by performing an experiment.
▸ be useful in predicting new findings.
Scientists who study volcanoes are called
volcanologists. This volcanologist is examining
lava as it flows into the ocean. What do you think
happens to lava when it flows into ocean water?
Form a hypothesis to answer this question.
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 Inquiry Skills
When you ask questions
and form hypotheses,
A scientific hypothesis must be testable. That means you use these skills.
you must be able to support or disprove your hypothesis by Infer Form an
experimenting. When you experiment you do a hands-on idea from facts or
activity to test an idea. observations.
Scientists often do research before they experiment. Form a hypothesis
They look in books, scientific journals, or Internet resources Make a statement that
for information that other scientists have already learned. can be tested to answer
a question.
Scientists also know that they cannot rely on someone’s
opinion or claim unless it has been backed up by
observations.

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Scientists test a hypothesis by doing experiments.
Although scientists don’t always wear lab coats or
even work in a laboratory, every good experiment
must
▸ change only one variable at a time.
▸ be able to be repeated.
Why are these two rules important? First,
scientists must be able to check each other’s work
for accuracy. Second, if you use more than one
variable in an experiment, it may be difficult to
identify the variable that was responsible for the
results. For example, scientists might measure
the temperature of lava at different locations on a
volcano. What would happen if they changed both
the depth and the location at which they measured
the temperature?
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Experiment >
Inquiry Skills
When you experiment,
you use these skills.
Experiment Perform
a test to support or
disprove a hypothesis.
Use variables Identify
things in an experiment
that can be changed or
controlled.
Before you test a hypothesis, you must have a plan. When
scientists make a plan, they think about the variables they Predict State possible
results of an event or
want to test. A variable is something that can be changed
experiment.
or controlled. It is important to change or control only one
variable at a time. Keep all other parts of the experiment the Make a model Make
something to represent
same. That way you will know that a single variable caused
an object or event.
your results.
After they determine their variables, scientists decide
what materials they will need. Then they write a procedure. A
procedure is a series of numbered steps that tell what to do
and the order in which to do them.
After scientists have developed their procedure, they
predict what will happen when they follow it. To predict
means to tell what you think will happen.

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In an experiment a scientist tries to observe
carefully and collect good data. Once the data have
been gathered, it is time to interpret it. Collecting
and interpreting data often requires working with
numbers.
These volcanologists are taking samples of gases
escaping from vents on the side of a volcano. They
are careful to wear protective clothing and gas
masks. Why do you think it is important to know
what gases are produced by a volcano?

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 Collecting Data >
Inquiry Skills
When you collect and
When scientists follow their procedure, they make interpret data, you use
these skills.
observations and record data. Data is information.
Measurements are a type of data. Scientists use Use numbers Order,
measurements whenever they can to describe objects and
count, add, subtract,
multiply, and divide to
events. Scientists measure such things as length, volume,
explain data.
mass, temperature, and time. They use special tools, such
Measure Find the size,
as rulers, thermometers, scales, balances, and binoculars to
distance, time, volume,
make sure that their observations and measurements are
area, mass, weight, or
accurate. temperature of an object
Scientists repeat their procedure several times. This helps or an event.
them know if their results are correct. They often compare Record data
their results with other scientists. Other scientists will repeat Accurately arrange
the procedure to see if they get the same results. and store information
collected in science
investigations.
Analyze data Use the
information that has
been gathered to answer
questions or solve a
problem.

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After interpreting the data, it is time to draw
a conclusion. A conclusion is a statement about
whether or not the hypothesis is valid based on the
data collected. Sometimes the data do not support
the hypothesis. Perhaps different experiments
and observations are needed. A new question may
result.
Scientists also tell other scientists, as well as
members of the public, about what they have
learned. For example, the United States Geological
Survey (USGS) operates five volcano observatories.
They observe activity leading to eruption, provide
emergency information about future and ongoing
eruptions, identify hazardous areas around active
and potentially active volcanoes, and improve
public understanding of how volcanoes erupt and
change the enviorment.
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 Conclusion
Inquiry Skills
When you draw
Scientists organize and analyze their data to see if the results conclusions and
support or disprove their hypothesis. They determine if their communicate results,
prediction matched their results. They draw conclusions and you use this skill.
try to explain their results. When you draw conclusions you Communicate Share
interpret observations to answer questions. information.
You communicate when you tell others what you have
learned. Much of the communication done by scientists is
done by writing. Scientists often write about their findings
and publish them in books and science magazines. Scientists
do several things when they publish their findings. They tell
other scientists what they are doing. By making their findings
public, other scientists can also benefit when they work. When
scientists communicate the results of their experiments, they
also make their results available for others to check. As you can
see, scientists rarely, if ever, work alone.
Sometimes the results of an experiment lead to new
questions. These questions can be used to form a new
hypothesis and perform new experiements. This way of working
is called the scientific method.

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Forming a Hypothesis

Science often starts with unanswered questions, Pico de Orizaba,

Mexico
and you can too. In one class, a group of students
wondered if there was a pattern in the location of
volcanoes around the world. This formed the basis for
their question.

Question
Are volcanoes more common in certain places than in
others?
The students turned their question into a hypothesis.
A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested to Mount Fuji, Japan
answer a question. A hypothesis can be formed as an
“If... then...” statement.

Hypothesis
If volcanoes most often occur in certain places, then
an analysis of volcano locations will show a pattern.

Lassen Peak,
California

Mount Erebus,
Antarctica

Karymsky Volcano
Kamchatka, Russia

14 6 IE 7.a. Develop a hypothesis.

 The World ’s Volcanos
Longitude
Volcano Latitude
44oE
1 39o N
30oW
2 38o N
24oW
3 16o N
78oW
4 0.4oS
52oW
5 35o N
103oE
6 4oS
15oE
7 37o N
90oW
8 0.3oS
19oW
9 64o N
155oW
10 58o N
105oE
11 6oS
121oW
12 40o N
155oW
13 19o N
71oW
14 16oS
122oW
15 46o N
140oE
16 42o N
73oW
17 40oS
102oW
18 19o N
61oW
19 15o N
14oE
20 40o N

Mount Shasta,
California

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Testing a Hypothesis

The students decided to test their hypothesis by plotting on a map places where
volcanoes have erupted so that they could identify patterns.

Procedure
1. On a small outline map, mark the locations where volcanoes are found. Use the table of
volcano locations on page 15.
2. Observe Are most volcanoes located near the edges or near the centers of continents?

6 IE 7.f. Read a topographic map and a geologic map for evidence

16 provided on the maps and construct and interpret a simple scale map.
Evaluating Evidence

The students used this map to evaluate whether the results were
consistent with their hypothesis.

Analyze Data
Does the map show a pattern in the arrangement of volcanoes?

Draw Conclusions
Are Earth’s volcanoes grouped in certain areas?

6 IE 7.e. Recognize whether evidence is consistent with a proposed explanation.

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Asking New Questions

Sometimes the result of an investigation can lead to new questions. After analyzing the
data and communicating their results to the rest of the class, the students had another
question they wondered about.

Question
Is there a relationship between the locations of active volcanoes and the location of
earthquakes?

Hypothesis
Write a hypothesis for this question. What data do you need to answer this question?
Discuss the question with your classmates. Work together to develop a plan to test your
hypothesis.

6 IE 7.a. Develop a hypothesis. • 6 IE 7.d. Communicate the steps and results from an investigation
18 in written reports and oral presentations.