Scientific MethodThe process of science in every day life
1. The Broken Phone You woke up to find that your cell phone
is not working.
What do you do?!?
Scientific Method
The scientific method is a series of steps taken to investigate issues and discover possible solutions.
6 Steps of the scientific method:QuestionResearchHypothesisExperimentDataConclusion
Situation Observation: obtaining information
by using the senses.
This plant seem to be healthy, but it’s the same size as it was last year.
What is the initial observation that is leading to questioning?
What questions pop into your head?
1. Question What should our question be?
Will this plant grow bigger if I use a better, more expensive dirt?
2. Research
What type of research should we do? What does a soil contain that makes a
plant grow? What types of soils are there? What makes one better than the other?
3. HypothesisA hypothesis is a proposed explanation or an educated guess.
Found in “If… then… “form.
Take 15 seconds and write down a possible hypothesis.
*Vocabulary* What is a Variable?
A variable is a factor that is of interest. Person or group of people Materials, objects or items Non-material things like
Age or height Minutes or days Miles or liters
*Vocabulary*Independent Variable
Variable that is being tested
Cause Action Before
Dependent Variable
Variable that is measured at the end
Effect Reaction After
Identify the Independent and dependent variables in your hypothesis.
*Vocabulary*Experimental Group
Group or subject that is being tested
Control Group
Group or subject that the experimental group is being compared to
Identify the experimental and control groups in your experiment
*Vocabulary* Control Variable(s) are variables that
must stay the same between the experimental group and the control group. Same amount of dirt Same amount of water Same type and size of plant Same amount of sunlight Same pot size…
Identify the control variables in our experiment.
Before we start!What materials do we need?
2 Identical Plants WaterSunlightOld dirtExpensive dirtPencil & Paper
4. ExperimentExperimental Group
Small house fern in a small pot
Regular dirt 100 mL of
water/wk Some sunlight
Control Group Small house fern
in a pot New expensive
dirt 50 mL of water/wk Full sunlight
4. ExperimentExperimental Group
Small house fern in a pot
New Expensive dirt
100 mL of water/wk
Full sunlight
Control Group Small house fern
in a pot Regular old dirt 100 mL of
water/wk Full sunlight
5. Data After 5 weeks, this is what we see:
Left – regular dirt; Right – expensive dirt.
*Vocabulary* What is ‘Validity?’
Being logically and factually sound and acceptable.
6. Conclusion Look back at your hypothesis. Is it valid? What did you observe? Was your hypothesis correct? Why or Why not?
A Good Conclusion Has Confirmed or Unsupported hypothesis
Restate some important facts/definitions
State all observations
State why these observations happened using facts, definitions, key terms
How to present data: There are three ways to present your
data:
Pie graph
Line graph
Bar graph
PIE GRAPH
Parts of a Whole
GreenD. GrayOrangeLight Gray
LINE GRAPH:change vs. time
Category 1
Category 2
Category 3
Category 4
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Series 1Series 2Series 3
BAR GRAPH
Categ
ory
1
Categ
ory
3012345
Series 1
Series 1
Category vs Value
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