Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Scientific Method
Scientific Method
Scientific
Method
The Steps to Success
The Scientific Method
What is the scientific
method?
It is a process that
is used to find
answers to
questions about
the world around
us.
Is there only one “scientific method”?
No, there are several versions of the
scientific method.
Some versions have more steps, while
others may have only a few.
However, they all begin with the
identification of a problem or a question to
be answered based on observations of the
world around us.
They provide an
organized
method for
conducting and
analyzing an
experiment.
What is a
hypothesis?
It is an educated
guess based on
observations and
your knowledge of
the topic.
You state it as a
possible answer to
a question.
Stated in the “If…..,
then….” format
Example: IF I water
three plants with
different sodas,
THEN the plant that
receives Sprite will
grow the tallest.
What is data?
It is information
gathered during
an experiment.
It is organized
into a data table
and displayed
visually as a
graph.
Graphs
BAR GRAPHS: can be used to show
how something changes over time
or to compare items.
have an x-axis (horizontal) and a
y-axis (vertical)
the x-axis has time period or
what is being measured
the y-axis has numbers for the
amount of stuff being measured.
good when you're plotting data
that spans many years (or days,
weeks...), has really big changes
from year to year (or day to
day...), or when you are
comparing things.
LINE GRAPHS: can be used to
show how something changes
over time
x-axis has numbers for the
time period
y-axis has numbers for what is
being measured.
can be used when you're
plotting data that has peaks
(ups) and valleys (downs), or
that was collected in a short
time period.
Used for two sets of numerical
data (ex: time and temp)
Steps of the Scientific Method
Independent
Variable – something
that is changed by
the scientist
What is tested
What is
manipulated
(changed)
Dependent Variable – something that
might be affected by the change in the
independent variable
What is observed
What is measured
The data collected during the investigation
“the numbers”
Example: how tall the plant grew, how far
the paper airplane flew
Example:
Controlled Variable – a variable that is
not changed
Also called CONSTANTS
Allow for a “fair test”
Everything in the experiment except
for the IV should be kept constant
Procedure
Give a detailed explanation of how you will
conduct the experiment to test your hypothesis
Be clear about the variables (elements you
change) versus your constants (elements that do
not change)
A control is the group that you use as a
comparison to see if change has occurred.
Example: In a medicine study, the group of
people who don’t get the medicine are the
control group
Be very specific about how you
will measure results to prove or
disprove your hypothesis. You
should include a regular timetable
for measuring results or
observing the projects (such as
every hour, every day, every
week)
Conclusion