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What is the

scientific method?

An organized set of investigation procedures that include:1. State the problem2. Research & Gather Info. 3. Form Hypothesis4. Test Hypothesis (Experiment)5. Record & Analyze Data6. Draw Conclusion

3. Form a Hypothesisan educated guesspossible answer to your question that is based on your researchThis may or may not be correct Start with “I think…, I predict…, or If…then…”

develop a question you want to answer2. Research find out what is already known about your subject, & make your own observations

1. State the Problem

an organized process used to test your hypothesis

4. Experiment

• Use your 5 senses in order to make observations

• Use various tools in order to improve or extend your power of observation

• Inferences (logical explanations) about data can be made

5. Record and Analyze Data

• use data tables to keep track of measurements & graphs to identify trends in the data•Cyclic Events (repeat over & over) can be used to make predictions about the future

• a judgment based on the results of an experiment

• explains what the data meansDoes data support hypothesis?

If answer is NO If answer is YES

6. Conclusion

Form a new hypothesis & conduct a different experiment

Repeat the experiment several times

Why repeat the experiment several times?

a) It is only considered to be valid if you get the same results each & every time you repeat the experiment

b)Publish your exp. so that other scientists can check your results & progress can be made in science

What is the difference between a

theory and a law?

• a former hypothesis that has been supported by many experiments

• can still be changed or discarded

Scientific Law• a statement about what happens in nature

that can’t be explained

• seems to happen in the same way all the time

ex: the law of gravity, Newton’s Laws of Motion

Theory

CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTS1. Set up two or more groups for comparison

(Control group & Experimental group(s))

2. Groups are set up to be alike in all ways except one

3. The one difference between the two groups at the start of the experiment is called the “independent variable”

4. Experimental Group(s) is (are) exposed to the independent variable, the Control Group is not

5. Significant differences in results are probably caused by the independent variable

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE INDEPENDENT & DEPENDENT VARIABLE?

What is the difference between

an Independent variable and a

Dependent variable?

The one part of the experiment that you change

The one thing being tested

Should cause a response to occur.

Always on the X-axis of a graph

2. Dependent Variable

a.k.a. the responding variable, or the factor being affected or changed in response to the independent variable

Always on the Y-axis of a graph

1. Independent Variable

X-axis

Y-axis

Dependent Variable

Independent Variable

Time (Days)

Growth (cm)

What is the control group?

It doesn’t contain the independent variable

Used for comparison

What is the experimental group?

It contains the independent variable

(the one factor in the experiment that is tested)

WHICH EXPERIMENT SHOWS THE CONTROL SET-UP & WHICH SHOWS THE EXPERIMENTAL SET-UP?

Why should we only

have one independent variable in

an experiment

?

If there were more than one independent variable, you wouldn’t know which variable caused the experimental result.