Transcript The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

A simple process answering a
question
Example #1:
1.
Observation:
 Turn on flashlight button
and no light
2. State the problem/question.

Why is the flashlight not working?
3. Form a hypothesis
(“educated” guess)

Flashlight batteries are dead, causing
flashlight to not work.
4. Collect data by testing
your hypothesis.

Replace old batteries with new ones,
making sure they are inserted
correctly.
Flashlight still does not work!
2 Types of Data
 Quantitative:
uses numbers
(measuring, counting)
 Qualitative: does not use
numbers (works, doesn’t work)
A good experiment has:

Variable (changes)
Independent Variable = thing
experimenter makes different
ex. New batteries or old?
Dependent Variable = what happens
when the independent variable is applied
ex. Does flashlight work or not?
and a “control” group.


The group you are comparing the
experimental group to;
Ex. If testing a drug for its ability to
lower blood pressure, the control
group would not get the active drug
but would get a “placebo” (a pill with
no active ingredients)
5. Analyze data.
 Organize
data in a meaningful
way, look for patterns.
 Charts
 Graphs
 Tables
6. Conclusion
 Experimental
answer to your
problem.
 Conclusion may verify or
disprove your hypothesis.
7. Verify results. (This
strengthens your research)
 Theory:
when a hypothesis is
verified
 Law: when a theory is tested
repeatedly with same results