Scientific Method

Awareness Test – just for fun

https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Ahg6qcgoay4
 What is the Scientific Method?

Chatting with your lab partner, discuss the question above.

The basic steps that scientists follow to solve scientific problems (a plan
for solving a problem)

An organized plan for gathering, organizing and

communicating data
The Steps….

Make an Observation
Ask a Question
Complete Background Research
Develop a Hypothesis
Test your Hypothesis (experiment)
Analyze the Data
Conclusion
Step 1: Observation

Everything starts with an observation

What you perceive with your senses

What observations can

you make about this
piece of paper?
Step 2: Forming a Question

Based on your observations

Develop a question or problem

that can be solved through experimentation

Usually a “How” or ”Why” question

Chatting with your lab partner…

Can you form a question about paper folding?
Step 2: Forming a Question

How does the size of a piece of paper effect the number of

times it an be folded in half?
Step 3: Complete Background Research

Collect knowledge needed to know about the subject of the experiment

List some sources/places to locate research

It will be used to form a hypothesis

Step 4: Develop a Hypothesis

Hypothesis = an educated prediction to the answer of the stated problem

Based on research and prior knowledge

Not a W.U.G.!
(Wild Uneducated Guess)

A proposed answer to your question

There is no
right or wrong hypothesis
 Format of a Hypothesis

Two accepted formats:

I Think….. Because....
Or
If.... Then..... Because

Both formats include the all important “because statement” used to justify your prediction

Chat with your lab partner

Come up with a hypothesis for our problem

If the area of the paper increases then the number of folds will increase because there is more paper
available for folding

I think the number of folds will increase as the area of the paper increases because there is more paper
available for folding.
Step 5: Testing Your Hypothesis

This is where you conduct an experiment

Develop a set of repeatable methods

The goal is to test your hypothesis by

collecting data
Step 5: Testing Your Hypothesis

Includes variables - a quantity that is measured or changed during the experiment

Variable Definition

Independent Variable What you are changing in the

experiment
Dependent Variable The outcome caused by changing the
independent variable, a measurement
Control Used for comparison in your experiment

Constant Factors that stay the same throughout

the experiment
Chat with your partner
How would you conduct the experiment to test our hypothesis?

What is the independent variable?

What is the dependent variable?

What are you going to keep constant?

 Step 6: Collect and Analyze the Data

Observations
Chatting and data are collected from the experiment
with your partner…
Looking at the tables, identify the independent variable and
Organize the data
the dependent variable.
Graph
Describe how the
thedata
table is constructed.
Interpret the data gathered from your experiment
Data

Construct charts, graphs, averaged, percentages, etc.

Which axis is the Dependent

Variable on the
independent Y-axis
variable?
Which axis is the
dependent
variable?
Independent Variable on the
X-axis
 Step 7: Conclusion

Does your data support your hypothesis?

NEVER “FUDGE”
NEVER CHANGE YOUR DATA TO MATCH
YOUR
YOUR HYPOTHESIS!!!
HYPOTHESIS!!
Yes No
Great! Now repeat your Great! Revise your hypothesis and test
experiment to ensure your again
conclusion is correct
Step 7: Conclusion

A summary of results – the answer to your question

What were the possible sources of error?
Does your data support your hypothesis? Why or why not?

Check this out…. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRAEBbotuIE