Notes: Scientific Method. What is Science? the pursuit of knowledge and understanding.
Scientific Method Notes
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Transcript of Scientific Method Notes
Scientific Method Notes
Scientific Method The way scientists learn and
study about the world around them
Observe and QuestionObserve- Make notice of things
in the world around you
Scientific Question- A question that is testable through an experiment
How many pennies can a bess beettle pull?
Why do leaves change colors?
What causes cancer?
How could I design a more efficient light bulb that uses less energy and saves money?
What impact does human use of pesticides have on the environment?
Is this Testable?A good scientific question is
testable
Not TestableGhosts?Religion?Feelings or Opinions?
VariablesThe parts of the exp. that ARE changing!
Independent Variable- This is what you are testing or changing in the experimentThere should only be 1 in an experiment
Dependent Variable- This will change because of the independent variable. This is the data/what you measure in an experiment
ConstantsConstants are things that stay the same
between each trail/test. This should be EVERYTHING except for the in depended variable.
Fair TestThere is only 1 independent variable
Constants- everything else in an experiment that should be kept the same
This way you know that the dependent variable changed because of what you were testing and not because of an outside factor
HypothesisDefine- An educated guess for
why what you observed is happening
Should be an IF…. THEN…. statement
Example- If I eat more cookies then I will run faster
Control GroupThe group that is used as a
comparison to the group being tested
ProcedureStep by step description of how
you will do the experiment
What should be included in the procedure?
Data TableA table including the information
that you gather
Present DataChart- arranges information
from the experiment visually, such as in a table
Analysis DataHow you explain your data
Often in the form of a graph
Looking for patterns
Trial Number Seconds to run Trial Number Seconds to run
1 147 12 137
2 122 13 143
3 136 14 185
4 178 15 194
5 157 16 179
6 182 17 188
7 133 18 170
8 156 19 126
9 119 20 189
10 191 21 185
11 134 22 157
What if the answer is not what we are looking for?
THATS OKAY TOO!
It’s just as important to know what doesn’t work as it is to know what does
Thomas Edison- "I have not failed 1,000 times. I have successfully discovered 1,000 ways to NOT make a light bulb."
ConclusionWas your hypothesis supported?
Should be written as: My hypothesis was/was not supported because … (this data showed)
Error AnalysisThings in your experiment
that you may or may not have been able to control that affected your experiment.