- Science is the process of learning aboutthe natural events of the world and testingour understanding about it.

- Science is the body of knowledge thatcome from this process.

Scientists use various inquiry processes to solve

problems and develop scientific knowledge.

There is no ONE scientific method!!

Those scientific inquiry processes should

Include the following items: Observations, questioning, making inferences,

experimental design, collecting data, interpreting results

Communicating with peers

Questioning Every piece of scientific knowledge begins with a QUESTION.

HOW? A natural event is observed and one questions why it occurs.

Observation

Observations are descriptive statements formed from using one or more of the five senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing).

Remember – you can observe something without seeing it!

Inference → Hypothesis Once an questioning event occurs – the observer uses

prior knowledge, past experiences to provide an explanation for what he/she saw.

This explanation is considered an INFERENCE.

If it is necessary for an experiment to be designed and conducted – this explanation is then considered a HYPOTHESIS.

Experimental Design - VariablesVARIABLES are the items that are changed or will be changed in the experiment.

There are always TWO different variables in a controlled experiment:

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE (manipulated variable) – This variable is the one changed by the experimenter

DEPENDENT VARIABLE (responding variable) – This variable is the one that will change as a result of the experiment.

It responds to the independent variable.

Sample ExperimentAlex’s Plant Experiment

Alex wants to grow larger houseplants. The Ads states thatMiracle Grow plant food can produce large healthy green plants. To see if this claim was true, he planted one fern seed in fourdifferent pots. The four plant seeds were given the sameamount of water and sunlight each day. In addition to water andsunlight, two of the plants received a small amount of MiracleGrow plant food. He watched the plants grow over a period offour weeks and recorded the mass of the plants each week.

What is the independent variable? dependent variable?

Experimental Design (Quantitative Research) A controlled experiment is necessary when youwant to test one condition at a time.

The following items are in a controlled experiment:

Independent variable Dependent variable

Control

Treatment

Sample Experiment

Alex’s Experiment Alex wants to grow larger houseplants. The ads state thatMiracle Grow plant food can produce large healthy green plants.To see if this claim was true, he planted one fern seed in fourdifferent pots. The four plant seeds were given the same amount of water and sunlight each day. In addition to water andsunlight, two of the plants received a small amount of MiracleGrow plant food. He watched the plants grow over a period offour weeks and recorded the mass of the plants each week.

What is the control group? Treatment group?

Other Experiment Essentials: Treatment & Control

TREATMENT – Independent Variable

CONTROL – part of experiment that is considered the standard, regular condition to be used for comparison

EXPERIMENTAL GROUP – individuals in experiment that receive the treatment

CONTROL GROUP – individuals in experiment that DO NOT receive treatment; comparison group

Think: Experimental group VS control group

Data DATA is the information obtained from experiments. There are two basic forms of data:

Quantitative research data – NUMBERS Measurements (time, mass, length, volume, etc.) Counts (number of offspring, diseased plants,etc.

Descriptive research data - WORDS Detailed

descriptions of observations

Data RepresentationThere are different ways to present data inorder to draw appropriate conclusions from it:

- TABLES or CHARTS simply display data - GRAPHS show data in order to view relationship

between independent & dependent variable

ConclusionsData is analyzed and might prove or disprove a hypothesis(explanation).

If data from many experiments prove hypothesis….

HYPOTHESIS → THEORYThe hypothesis can become a theory

Research conclusions must be consistent with the data collected.

YOU MUST SHOW EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR CONCLUSION!

Collaboration

Scientists communicate with peers & add to

scientific knowledge base by:

- Presenting at research conferences

- Publishing in peer-reviewed journals