SCIENTIFICSCIENTIFICMETHODMETHOD

#1 : IDENTIFY THE #1 : IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM OR PROBLEM OR

ASK A QUESTIONASK A QUESTION

BASED ON AN BASED ON AN OBSERVATIONOBSERVATION

#2 : COLLECT #2 : COLLECT INFORMATION INFORMATION

RESEARCHRESEARCH

LIBRARY, COMPUTER, LIBRARY, COMPUTER, BOOKS, MAGAZINESBOOKS, MAGAZINES

#3 : FORM A #3 : FORM A HYPOTHESIS HYPOTHESIS

MAKE A PREDICTIONMAKE A PREDICTION

SUGGEST AN EXPLANATION FOR SUGGEST AN EXPLANATION FOR WHY OR HOW SOMETHING WHY OR HOW SOMETHING

HAPPENS; MUST BE TESTABLEHAPPENS; MUST BE TESTABLE

#4 : TEST THE #4 : TEST THE HYPOTHESIS HYPOTHESIS

DESIGN A CONTROLLED DESIGN A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTEXPERIMENT

TEST FOR ONE VARIABLE AT A TIME – TEST FOR ONE VARIABLE AT A TIME – COMPARE TWO SETS OF RESULTS, SO COMPARE TWO SETS OF RESULTS, SO

THE EFFECT OF THE INDEPENDENT THE EFFECT OF THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE CAN BE SEENVARIABLE CAN BE SEEN

a) a) INDEPENDENTINDEPENDENT VARIABLEVARIABLE

THE FACTOR WHICH IS THE FACTOR WHICH IS CHANGED DURING THE CHANGED DURING THE

EXPERIMENTEXPERIMENT

b) b) DEPENDENT DEPENDENT VARIABLEVARIABLE

MEASURED TO IDENTIFY MEASURED TO IDENTIFY CHANGES, IF ANY, AS A RESULT CHANGES, IF ANY, AS A RESULT OF CHANGES TO INDEPENDENT OF CHANGES TO INDEPENDENT

VARIABLEVARIABLE

c) c) CONSTANT CONSTANT VARIABLEVARIABLE

ALL THE FACTORS OR ALL THE FACTORS OR CONDITIONS THAT MUST CONDITIONS THAT MUST BE KEPT THE SAME IN AN BE KEPT THE SAME IN AN

EXPERIMENTEXPERIMENT

#5 : RECORD AND #5 : RECORD AND STUDY DATA STUDY DATA

MEASURE USING MEASURE USING APPROPRIATE TOOLSAPPROPRIATE TOOLS

METRIC RULER, METRIC RULER, GRADUATED CYLINDER, BALANCE, GRADUATED CYLINDER, BALANCE,

THERMOMETER, STOPWATCH, THERMOMETER, STOPWATCH, SPRING SCALE, HAND LENS, SPRING SCALE, HAND LENS,

MICROSCOPEMICROSCOPE

a) MAKE a) MAKE OBSERVATIONSOBSERVATIONS

QUALITATIVEQUALITATIVE : :RELATES TO THE FIVE SENSES – RELATES TO THE FIVE SENSES –

COLOR, SHAPE, ODOR, TEXTURE, COLOR, SHAPE, ODOR, TEXTURE, SOUND, TASTESOUND, TASTE

QUANTITATIVEQUANTITATIVE : :

CAN BE MEASURED – LENGTH, CAN BE MEASURED – LENGTH, MASS, VOLUME, TEMPERATURE, MASS, VOLUME, TEMPERATURE,

DENSITYDENSITY

b) ANALYZE THE RESULTS b) ANALYZE THE RESULTS COMMUNICATE DATA COMMUNICATE DATA USING USING

TABLES & GRAPHSTABLES & GRAPHS

SHOW PATTERNS AND SHOW PATTERNS AND RELATIONSHIPS WHICH MAKE RELATIONSHIPS WHICH MAKE

REACHING A CONCLUSION EASIERREACHING A CONCLUSION EASIER

#6 : DRAW #6 : DRAW CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS

STATE WHETHER OR NOT STATE WHETHER OR NOT THE RESULTS SUPPORT THE RESULTS SUPPORT

THE HYPOTHESISTHE HYPOTHESIS

DEVELOP THEORIESDEVELOP THEORIES

REPEATED VERIFICATION OVER TIME REPEATED VERIFICATION OVER TIME (BECAUSE OF SIMILAR RESULTS)(BECAUSE OF SIMILAR RESULTS)

PREDICTIONSPREDICTIONS

TO FORETELL WHAT IS LIKELY TO TO FORETELL WHAT IS LIKELY TO HAPPEN BASED ON AN OBSERVATION HAPPEN BASED ON AN OBSERVATION

OR EXPERIMENTOR EXPERIMENT

STATEMENT MADE IN ADVANCE BASED STATEMENT MADE IN ADVANCE BASED ON PATTERNS IN DATA OR ON PATTERNS IN DATA OR

OBSERVATIONSOBSERVATIONS

INFERENCESINFERENCES

TO DRAW CONCLUSION BASED ON TO DRAW CONCLUSION BASED ON FACTS OR INFORMATION GAINED FACTS OR INFORMATION GAINED

FROM AN INQUIRYFROM AN INQUIRY

A LOGICAL INTERPRETATION MADE ON A LOGICAL INTERPRETATION MADE ON THE BASIS OF FACTS OR PRIOR THE BASIS OF FACTS OR PRIOR KNOWLEDGE RATHER THAN ON KNOWLEDGE RATHER THAN ON

DIRECT OBSERVATIONDIRECT OBSERVATION

CONCLUSIONSCONCLUSIONS

A DECISION AS TO WHETHER THE A DECISION AS TO WHETHER THE HYPOTHESIS WAS CORRECT OR HYPOTHESIS WAS CORRECT OR

PROVEN BASED UPON THE RESULTSPROVEN BASED UPON THE RESULTS

KEY TERMS KEY TERMS WORDS TO KNOWWORDS TO KNOW

1.1. SCIENTIFIC INQUIRYSCIENTIFIC INQUIRY2.2. OBSERVATIONOBSERVATION3.3. DATADATA4.4. INFERENCEINFERENCE5.5. HYPOTHESISHYPOTHESIS6.6. VARIABLEVARIABLE7.7. CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTCONTROLLED EXPERIMENT8.8. SCIENTIFIC THEORYSCIENTIFIC THEORY

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRYSCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

THE DIVERSE WAYS IN WHICHTHE DIVERSE WAYS IN WHICH

SCIENTISTS STUDY THE SCIENTISTS STUDY THE

NATURAL WORLDNATURAL WORLD

OBSERVATIONOBSERVATION

A SKILL THAT INVOLVES THE A SKILL THAT INVOLVES THE

USE OF ONE OR MORE OF THEUSE OF ONE OR MORE OF THE

SENSES TO GATHER SENSES TO GATHER

INFORMATION AND COLLECT INFORMATION AND COLLECT

DATADATA

DATADATA

THE FACTS, FIGURES, AND THE FACTS, FIGURES, AND

OTHER EVIDENCE GATHERED OTHER EVIDENCE GATHERED

THROUGH OBSERVATIONTHROUGH OBSERVATION

INFERENCEINFERENCE

AN INTERPRETATION OF ANAN INTERPRETATION OF AN

OBSERVATION THAT IS BASEDOBSERVATION THAT IS BASED

ON EVIDENCE OR PRIOR ON EVIDENCE OR PRIOR

KNOWLEDGEKNOWLEDGE

HYPOTHESISHYPOTHESIS

A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION

FOR A SET OF FOR A SET OF

OBSERVATIONS OR ANSWER OBSERVATIONS OR ANSWER

TO A SCIENTIFIC QUESTION; TO A SCIENTIFIC QUESTION;

MUST BE TESTABLEMUST BE TESTABLE

VARIABLEVARIABLE

ANY FACTOR THAT CAN ANY FACTOR THAT CAN

CHANGE IN AN EXPERIMENTCHANGE IN AN EXPERIMENT

CONTROLLED CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTEXPERIMENT

AN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH ALLAN EXPERIMENT IN WHICH ALL

OF THE VARIABLES EXCEPTOF THE VARIABLES EXCEPT

FOR ONE REMAIN THE SAMEFOR ONE REMAIN THE SAME

SCIENTIFIC THEORYSCIENTIFIC THEORY

A WELL-TESTED CONCEPT A WELL-TESTED CONCEPT

THAT EXPLAINS A WIDE THAT EXPLAINS A WIDE

RANGE OF OBSERVATIONSRANGE OF OBSERVATIONS

Put the Following Steps in the Put the Following Steps in the Proper OrderProper Order

A)A) FORM A HYPOTHESIS – MAKE A PREDICTIONFORM A HYPOTHESIS – MAKE A PREDICTION

B)B) ANALYZE THE RESULTS – COMMUNICATE DATA USING TABLES ANALYZE THE RESULTS – COMMUNICATE DATA USING TABLES

AND GRAPHSAND GRAPHS

C)C) ARRIVE AT A CONCLUSIONARRIVE AT A CONCLUSION

D)D) TEST THE HYPOTHESIS – DESIGN A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTTEST THE HYPOTHESIS – DESIGN A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT

E)E) RECORD DATA – MEASURE USING APPROPRIATE TOOLSRECORD DATA – MEASURE USING APPROPRIATE TOOLS

F)F) MAKE OBSERVATIONSMAKE OBSERVATIONS

G)G) IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM OR ASK A QUESTIONIDENTIFY THE PROBLEM OR ASK A QUESTION