Scientific Method

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Scientific Method
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Steps in the Scientific Method

• Identification Question
• Research
• Hypothesis
• Experiment (materials, procedure)
• Data Collection (Observations, results)
• Conclusion
• Possible Retest

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Observations

• Gathered through your senses
• A scientist notices something in their natural
  world
• An act of noting and recording an event,
  characteristic, behavior or anything else
  detected with an instrument or the senses.

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Observations

• An example of an observation might be noticing
  that many salamanders near a pond have curved,
  not straight, tails

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Observations

• An objective observation is one based on fact.
• A Subjective observation is one based on opinion.

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Hypothesis

• A suggested solution to the problem.
• Must be testable
• Sometimes written as IfThen statements
• Predicts an outcome

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Hypothesis

• A tentative explanation for an observation or
  scientific problem that can be tested by further
  investigation

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Hypothesis

• An example of a hypothesis might be that the
  salamanders have curved tails due to a pollutant
  in the moist soil where they live.

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Experiment

• A procedure to test the hypothesis.

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Experiment

• Variable any factor in the experiment that is
  being tested. Can be changed in a controlled
  experiment, observation or model

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Experiment

• Constant All of the factors that are the same
  in both the experimental group and the control
  group.

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Experiment

• A good or valid experiment will only have ONE
  variable!

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Controls and Variables

• The Control Group A group of subjects in an
  experiment who are not given any special
  treatment something that is not manipulated.

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Scientific Experiments Follow Rules

• An experimenter changes one factor and observes
  or measures what happens.

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The Control Variable

• The experimenter makes a special effort to keep
  other factors constant so that they will not
  effect the outcome.
• Those factors are called control variables.

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What is the Purpose of a Control?

• Controls are NOT being tested
• Controls are used for COMPARISON

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Other Variables

• The factor that is changed is known as the
  independent variable.
• The factor that is measured or observed is called
  the dependent variable.

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Example of Controls Variables

• For example, suppose you want to figure out the
  fastest route to walk home from school.
• You will try several different routes and time
  how long it takes you to get home by each one.
• Since you are only interested in finding a route
  that is fastest for you, you will do the walking
  yourself.

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What are the Variables in Your Experiment?

• Varying the route is the independent variable
• The time it takes is the dependent variable
• Keeping the same walker throughout makes the
  walker a control variable.

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One more thing it is best to make several trials
with each independent variable.
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Valid Experiments
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RememberTo be a Valid Experiment

• Two groups are required --- the control
  experimental groups
• There should be only one variable

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Data

• Results of the experiment
• May be quantitative Expressd in numbers and
  include records of time, temperature, mass,
  distance, and volume

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Data

• Results of the experiment
• May be qualitative Includes descriptions of
  sight, sounds, smells, textures.

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Data

• Must be organized
• Can be organized into charts, tables, or graphs

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Conclusion

• The answer to the hypothesis based on the data
  obtained from the experiment

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Conclusion

• The Inference- A logical conclusion drawn from
  the available evidence and prior knowledge.
  Inferences are often made from observations.

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Retest

• In order to verify the results, experiments must
  be retested.

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Review
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Solving a Problem

• 1)Identify a Problem
• 2) State Observations about the problem
• 3) Form a Hypothesis about the problem (ifthen)
• 4) Design an Experiment to test the hypothesis
• 5) Collect Data
• 6) Form a Conclusion
• 7) Retest (if necessary)