SCIENTIFIC METHOD

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRYA Process that involves many steps to

complete an inquiry

SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY1. Ask questions based on curiosity and observations

2. Gather information

3. Identify the problem

4. Form a hypothesis

5. Perform an experiment/investigation

6. Analyze data

7. Draw conclusions

8. Revise hypothesis or repeat experiment to support hypothesis

1. Ask questions based on curiosity and observationsFind an interesting topic you like to learn about

or investigate a topic given to you by your teacher

2. Gather information Information gathered can be either

a) QUALITATIVE: an observation where only words (no numbers) are used

b) QUANTITATIVE: an observation that uses numbers

Can you make a qualitative and quantitative observation about our classroom?

3. Identify the problemWhat exactly are we going to be testing or

investigating?

4. Form a hypothesis HYPOTHESIS: a statement about an idea that you can test, based on your observations

- The test will involve comparing two things to find the relationship between them.

Ex: Can you form a hypothesis about the relationship between temperature and the state of water?

5. Perform an experiment or investigation Performing an experiment or investigation requires

identifying variables, designing a fair test, and organizing data

VARIABLES: all the factors that can affect the test being conducted

- To make a fair test, it is important to test only one variable at a time

a) INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: The variable that you change

b) DEPENDENT VARIABLE: The responding variable

c) CONTROL: a test with no variables

5. Perform an experiment or investigation For each example, identify the control, your independent variable and your dependent variable

Ex: Does light travel the same way through different substances?

Ex: Does adding compost to soil promote vegetable growth?

Ex: How effective are various kinds of mosquito repellent?

6. Analyze DataRecord and organize your data. Ex: table

After recording your data, the next step is to present your data in a format so that you can analyze it. Ex: graph

7. Draw conclusionsForm a statement that indicates whether your

results support or do not support your hypothesis

8. Revise hypothesis or repeat experiment to support experiment If your hypothesis is supported, repeat your

experiment several times to validate your results

If your hypothesis is not supported, use what you have learned to come up with a new hypothesis to test

THEORY: When a hypothesis has been thoroughly tested and nearly all scientists agree that the results support the hypothesis