Science means “having knowledge”. It involves

trying to solve problems or determine a hypothesis.

Scientists use the scientific method to test a hypothesis hypothesis or answer a question.question.

Steps in the Scientific Method

• Identify a Problem • State Observations about the Problem• Form a Hypothesis• Design an Experiment• Data Collection• Form a Conclusion• Retest

IDENTIFY THE QUESTION/PROBLEM

What question is being answered, problem solved, or hypothesis tested.

Description of objects, eventsevents• May include data from all five

senses (touch/texture, smell, taste, sight, sound)

• Could be drawings, diagrams, written words

• Do not include opinionsopinions.

• An educated guess about the results• Must be testable• Predicts an outcome to the problem• Always support your idea with a

reason! – (If….then…)

Hypothesis

Experiment

• Design a controlled experiment to test your hypothesis and collect data

» Develop a well planned series of procedures

– Establish the control group and the experimental group

– Identify your variables

Control GroupControl Group: the part of the experiment that is left alone or “natural”. Used to compare back to.

Experimental GroupExperimental Group:: the part of the experiment in which a factor or variable is changed.

Variables are parts of an experiment

Controlled variables Controlled variables (constants): (constants): factors in an experiment that are NOTNOT changed.

Manipulated (independent) Manipulated (independent) variablevariable: :

factors in an experiment that are changedchanged.

•Good experiments have only ONEONE manipulated variable.

RespondingResponding (dependent) variable:

the factor that you are measuringmeasuring.

All the information gathered while performing the experiment.May be quantitative (numbers) or qualitative.Can be organized into charts, graphs, or tables

Data

Results/Conclusions:Results/Conclusions:Analyze your data to determine the final outcome of the experiment

• What do you NOW believe as a result of the experiment or observations?

• Restate your hypothesis (or at least relate your findings to it)

• Support your claim with at least 2 pieces of data• Use good explanatory language

Conclusion

Share your results:Share your results:

Publish your findings so that others may benefit from your work.

• Explanation of a set of related observations or events based upon well tested hypotheses.

• Verified multiplemultiple times by detached groups of researchers.

• One scientist cannot create a theory, he/she can only create a hypothesis.

Examples: The theory of evolutionThe theory of evolution

• A statement of fact meant to explainexplain, in concise terms, an action or set of actions.

• Generally accepted to be true and universal, and can sometimes be expressed in terms of a single mathematical equation. Scientific laws are similar to mathematical postulates. They don’t really need any complex external proofs; they are accepted at face value based upon the fact that they have alwaysalways been observed to be true.

ExamplesExamples: The law of gravityThe law of gravity