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The Scientific Method: A Step-by-Step Investigation Process

Learn about the scientific method, a systematic approach to solving problems through observation, hypothesizing, testing, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions.

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The Scientific Method: A Step-by-Step Investigation Process

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  1. THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

  2. THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD • You wake up w/ a sore throat & go to Dr. • Dr. asks questions: fever? nausea? • Dr. thinks you might have strep throat • Dr. takes a swab of your throat & runs a strep test. • Strep test comes back positive • Dr. confirms strep throat & writes you a prescription for an antibiotic

  3. THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD • Organized set of investigation procedures • 6 main steps 1. Problem 2. Gather information 3. Form Hypothesis 4. Test Hypothesis 5. Analyze data 6. Form conclusions

  4. STATING THE PROBLEM • Usually begins as a question “why?” • Develops from curiosity about natural events. EXAMPLE: • “Why is my plant dying?”

  5. GATHERING INFORMATION • Learn as much as possible about the problem. • Saves time EXAMPLE: • Read information about your plant. • Ask a professional gardener about your plant

  6. FORM HYPOTHESIS • Hypothesis- Possible explanation or “educated guess” • EXAMPLE: • From the information you read about your plant, you find out that it does not like direct sunlight. Your plant has been sitting in front of a window. Your hypothesis, then, is that: • If your plant receives too much sunlight, then it will die.

  7. TEST HYPOTHESIS EXPERIMENT- Test of the hypothesis Independent Variable- Variable “I” change or test Dependent Variable- Factor which changes on its own & is measured during the experiment Control- Setup run for comparison RULES OF EXPERIMENTATION 1. Test only 1 variable at a time 2. Always run a control for comparison

  8. EXPERIMENT EXAMPLE You get 2 plants exactly like your dying plant. You place one in direct sunlight, (the window) and the other in a shaded area. All variables (water, temperature, and soil) are kept constant except for sunlight. You observe the plants for 2 weeks. What is the independent variable? (Factor I changed) What is the dependent variable? (Factor measured) What is the control? What are the constants? ANSWER SUNLIGHT SHADE

  9. ANSWER INDEPENDENT VARIABLE:Amount of Sunlight (Sunlight is the only factor changed between the plants) DEPENDENT VARIABLE:Growth (Growth is measured and depends on sunlight, which is the independent variable) CONTROL:Plant in Shade (It was the setup run without the variable) CONSTANTS:Water, Temperature, Soil (These variables were kept the same to make sure we tested only one variable- sunlight)

  10. Plant Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 Day 10 Sunlight Healthy Some wilting Turning yellow Dead Shade Healthy Healthy Healthy Healthy ANALYZE DATA • Record observations and data in a chart • Graph the data if possible • Study the data to look for patterns or unexpected results What does this data show? ANSWER

  11. Plant Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 Day 10 Sunlight Healthy Some wilting Turning yellow Dead Shade Healthy Healthy Healthy Healthy ANSWER • Data show that sunlight is killing the plant because all other variables (water, soil, temperature) were kept constant

  12. DRAW CONCLUSION • Determine whether or not hypothesis is supported by the data • Experiment must result in exact same data every time repeated • EXAMPLE: • After this experiment was repeated several times, the same results were obtained. You conclude that too much sunlight killed your original plant.

  13. QUIZ

  14. 1. Which of these is the problem? • Sunlight is killing my plant • Why is my plant dying? • Water, temperature, and soil • None of the above

  15. 2. Which of these describes the hypothesis? • An educated guess • The final answer • Research • All of the above

  16. 3. How many variables can be tested at one time? • 1 • 2 • 3 • As many as you want

  17. 4. What is the purpose of a control? • To form an educated guess • To compare results with the experiment • To organize data collected • To make sure 2 variables are tested

  18. 5. Which of these helps to analyze data? • Data Table • Graph • Looking for patterns • All of the above

  19. CORRECT!! WAY TO GO!!!

  20. CORRECT!! WAY TO GO!!!

  21. CORRECT!! WAY TO GO!!!

  22. CORRECT!! WAY TO GO!!!

  23. CORRECT!! WAY TO GO!!!

  24. SORRY! TRY AGAIN!!

  25. THE END START TUTORIAL TAKE QUIZ

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