Republic of the Philippines

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
MINDANAO STATE UNIVERSITY
General Santos City

Module 5:RESEARCH ON GOALS FOR THE SCIENCE CURRICULUM

Lesson 2 b.3.Scientific methods and skills and their applications
.

History of the Scientific Method

THE BEGINNING OF THE HISTORY OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Aristotle was the first to realize the
importance of empirical measurement, believing
that knowledge could only be gained by building
upon what is already known. He applied his
methods to almost everything, from poetry and
politics to astronomy and natural history. His
‘proto-scientific method’ involved making
meticulous observations about everything.
 History of the Scientific Method
Aristotle’s methods can be summed up as follows.

1.Study what others have written about the subject.

2.Look for the general consensus about the subject
3.Perform a systematic study of everything even partially
related to the topic.

This is the first sign of a scientific method, with literature

reviews, consensus and measurement. The Greeks were the
first to subdivide and name branches of science in a
recognizable way, including physics, biology, politics, zoology
and, of course, poetry!
 History of the Scientific Method
THE MUSLIM INFLUENCE ON THE HISTORY OF THE SCIENTIFIC
METHOD

The history of the scientific method must pay a

great deal of respect to some of the brilliant Muslim
philosophers of Baghdad and Al-Andalus. They preserved
the knowledge of the Ancient Greeks, including Aristotle,
but also added to it, and were the catalyst for the
formation of a scientific method recognizable to modern
scientists and philosophers.
 History of the Scientific Method
THE MUSLIM INFLUENCE ON THE HISTORY OF THE SCIENTIFIC
METHOD
The first, and possibly greatest Islamic scholar, was Ibn al-
Haytham, best known for his wonderful work on light and vision,
so called ‘The Book of Optics.’ He developed a scientific method
very similar to our own:
1.State an explicit problem, based upon observation
and experimentation.
2.Test or criticize a hypothesis through experimentation.
3.Interpret the data and come to a conclusion, ideally using
mathematics.
4.Publish the findings
 History of the Scientific Method
THE RENAISSANCE AND THE HISTORY OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

The renaissance was another turning point for the scientific

method, where European scholars took the knowledge of the Greeks
and the Muslims, and added to it.

Roger Bacon (1214 - 1294) was one of the earliest European scholars
to refine the scientific methods. He developed the idea of making
observations, hypothesizing and then experimenting to test
the hypothesis. In addition, he documented his experiments
meticulously so that other scientists could repeat his
experiments and verify his results.
 History of the Scientific Method
THE RENAISSANCE AND THE HISTORY OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626), was one of the greatest movers

behind the development of the scientific method.
He reiterated the importance of induction as part of the
scientific method, believing that all scientific discovery
should proceed through a process of observation,
experimentation, analysis and inductive reasoning,
to apply the findings to the universe as a whole.
 The Scientific Method

The scientific method is the only scientific

way accepted to back up a theory or
idea. This is the method on which all
research projects should be based. The
Scientific Method is used by researchers
to support or disprove a theory.
 The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method involves 4 steps:

The Problem
Hypothesis
Experimentation
Conclusion
 The Scientific Method

Problem/Observation- By asking a question, the

scientist consciously defines a specific problem for
investigation. The question is usually followed by a
thorough search for information about the topic.
You observe something in the material world, using
your senses or machines which are basically
extensions of those senses.

AH—Look at this!
 The Scientific Method

Hypothesis- At this stage in the scientific

method, the scientist usually formulates
a hypothesis, a possible explanation for
an observed set of facts.
 The Scientific Method
Experimentation- You do the experiment using
the method you came up with and
record the results. You repeat the
experiment to confirm your
results by retesting.
 The Scientific Method
State Conclusion- You state whether
your prediction was confirmed or not
and try to explain your results.
 Scientific Method

Basic Steps
(The Rattlesnake Experiment)

3/1/2020
 Definition
 Scientific method:
basic steps that
scientists follow in
uncovering facts
and solving
scientific problems
Basic Parts of Scientific Method
 Stating the problem
 Gathering information
 Suggesting an answer for the problem
 Performing an experiment to see
whether the suggested answer makes
sense
 Recording and analyzing the results of
experiments or other observations
 Stating conclusions
 Stating the Problem
 What invisible trail does a
rattlesnake follow in tracking down
its bitten prey?
 Gathering Information
 A rattlesnakes eyes are only sensitive to visible
light
 A pair of organs located under the eyes detect
invisible light in the form of heat
 A rattler’s tongue “smells” certain odors in the air
 The sight or smell of an unbitten animal does not
trigger the rattler’s tracking action
 Hypothesis
 After the snake wounds its victim,
the snake follows the smell of its
own venom to locate the animal
 Experiment
 Drag a dead mouse that has been struck and
poisoned by a rattlesnake along a curved path on
the bottom of an empty cage
 Place the snake in the cage
 The snake follows the exact trail that has been
laid out
 Control
 Drag an unbitten dead mouse along the path
 The snake seems disinterested
 Recording and Analyzing Data
 Do the
experiment
many times
 Record the data
 Conclusion
 The scent of venom was the
only factor that could cause a
rattlesnake to follow its bitten
victim.