How do scientists solve problems ?

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Scientific Method

• How do scientists solve problems ?

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It begins with QUESTION

• Who - what - when - where - why - how - how much
  - how can
• ? ? ? ? ?

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Research comes next

• Look up information
• about the topic
• Where do you start?
• Ex.?

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Make a Hypothesis

• If I .(What will you change?)
• This is your independent variable.
• Then ...(Predict what you will see).
• This is your dependent variable

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Based on your research- design your experiment!!

• Make sure it is something that can be tested!

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Do the EXPERIMENT

• Follow the plan and test the conditions.

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MakeObservations

• Write what you see.
• Record numbers and measurements in CHARTS.
• This will become your data for analysis.

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Compare Data

• Construct graphs
• Bar graphs
• Line Graphs
• Pie Graphs
• Picture Graphs

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Analyze Data

• Explain HOW and WHY things happened in the
  experiment.
• Is this Interpretation or Observation?

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Make a CONCLUSION

• Answer the original question.
• Tell if hypothesis was proved correct.
• If not, why not?
• What have you learned?

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Communicate and Confer

• Have others obtained similar results ?
• Precision Vs. Accuracy

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At this point it may be useful to ask a new
question and repeat the process.Ex. Peanut and
Melvin?
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Controlled Experiments
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What is a Controlled Experiment ?

• All parts of the experiment are kept the same
  except ONE thing that is changed.

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The INDEPENDENTVariable

• Is the condition which we change in the
  experiment.
• It is what we are testing.
• This is the If part of our hypothesis

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The DEPENDENT Variable

• Is what changes BECAUSE we changed the
  independent variable.
• It DEPENDS on the independent variable.
• This is the then part of our hypothesis

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Variables and the Hypothesis

• If . (tell what change will be made in the
  INDEPENDENT Variable)
• Then. (PREDICT what changes will occur in the
  DEPENDENT Variable)

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Variables and a CHART
Independent Variable
I n d e p
Dependent Variable data
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Variables and a graph
D e p e n d e n t
Independent Variable
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Theory
Repeated experiments allow scientists to
develop a THEORY - an idea that has been
proved many times. A Theory is NOT an opinion!
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A THEORY may be modified when new
information is discovered. Scientific LAWS may
not. They are unchanging ideas.