The Scientific Method

What is the scientific method?•It is a strategy to answer a question or find

information•Doesn’t have to be followed the same every

time or for every experiment•Always involves following steps in an order

It doesn’t make any sense to come to a conclusion without having done any observing first

•Following steps allows you to find your answer as quickly as possible without repeating yourself

•Following steps also allows other people to check your work if you discover something amazing!

What ARE the steps to use?•Observation- you see something

•Ask a Question- Why? How?

•Form a Hypothesis – Do some research.What could possibly explain your observation? How could you test your explanation? What do you expect to happen?

•Collect Data- conduct an experiment,do more observing, measure

•Organize your Data•Draw a Conclusion

The Scientific Method

Example 1:• Observation: There is a dog barking at a tree

• Question: Why is the dog barking at the tree?

• Hypothesis: I know dogs bark at strangers, and noises and other animals. Maybe there is an animal in the tree. If I bring the dog to a tree without an animal it shouldn’t bark. If I show the dog a tree WITH an animal in it then it will bark.

• Collect Data: I put a cat in one tree and nothing in the other, the dog barked at the tree with the cat. The dog did not bark at the empty tree.

• Organize Data:

• Draw a Conclusion: There must have been something in the tree for the dog to bark at.

Example 2:• Observation: My grades are better in my afternoon classes

than my morning classes

• Question: Why are my grades better later?

• Hypothesis: If I am tired in the morning than my grades will be lower than in the afternoon.

• Collect Data: My last quiz grades in period one were 68, 46 and 62. After going to bed early for two weeks my quiz grades were 71 and 65. Quiz grades in period 9 were 71, 75 and 79. After two weeks my quiz grades were 82, 75.

•Organize Data:

 Period 

1Period 

9

Quiz Ave. Regular 59 75Quiz Ave W/Extra 

Sleep 68 79

Period 1 Period 90

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

59

7568

79

Does more sleep help my quiz grades?

Quiz Ave. RegularQuiz Ave. W/Extra Sleep

•Draw a Conclusion:▫My Quiz average in period one increased by

almost 10 points and supported my hypothesis. The extra sleep helped my late class quizzes as well, by about 4 points. I wonder if eating breakfast would help the morning quizzes too.

You DO:•Choose one of the observations below and

follow the scientific method to either SUPPORT IT or CONTRADICT it.1. Girls are smarter than Boys2. Randy Moss is a better wide receiver than TO3. More practice time shooting free throw equals

more points per game4. The temperature at 11am is always colder then

the temperature at 3pm5. Girls text faster than Boys6. Jason can throw a ball farther then Bill7. Girls are better safer drivers than Boys8. The taller the ramp, the farther you will coast

on a bike