Solving a problem in an orderly and

systematic way.

1. Define the Problem

• Put the problem in the form of a question.

• ie.What will happen to a gummy bear when you put it in water overnight?

2. Research• Gather as much

information as you can on the problem.

• Review everything important related to the question.

• This is done through your own past knowledge or through research.

3. Hypothesis

• A suggested solution is your hypothesis.

• This is also called an educated guess.

4. Perform an EXPERIMENT to test the hypothesis.

• Only test one thing at a time.

• This is called your variable. The variable is what is being tested.

• A control experiment has no variable.

While performing your experiment, keep track of the steps.

• The easiest way is to number each step.

• This will help others to follow your experiment exactly as you did it.

5. Record and 6. Analyze Data

• Carefully record anything that happened.

• These facts are called DATA.

• Data includes observations.

7. Conclusion

• First, tell if the information agrees or disagrees with your hypothesis.

• Next, review the entire lab and then restate the problem in the conclusion section of the lab.

My hypothesis agrees…

Repeat the Experiment

• A good scientist will check the accuracy of their work by repeating the experiment.

• Scientists do not consider the results as accurate unless it has been repeated many times.

Sometimes the results of research may cause them to go in another direction.