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The Scientific Method. The Scientific Method. Scientific Method. Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating events, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and incorporating previous knowledge The scientific method is used to analyze events in an unbiased way.
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Scientific Method • Scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating events, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and incorporating previous knowledge • The scientific method is used to analyze events in an unbiased way.
Components of the Scientific Method • Question • Hypothesis • Experiment • Conclusion Scientific Method Monty Python.flv
1. Question • The Question Refers to a specific observation • “Why is the sky blue” • In the movie, the question was “is she a witch?”
2. Hypothesis • A hypothesis is an IF.. THEN.. statement. • A hypothesis is NOT an educated guess • In the movie the Hypothesis was “IFthe girl is a witch THEN she will weigh the same as a duck.
3. Experiment • A scientific procedure undertaken to make a discovery, test a hypothesis, or demonstrate a known fact.
4. Conclusion • If the experimental data validates the hypothesis consistently, then the hypothesis becomes a THEORY.
Accuracy vs. Precision • Q: Because the woman in the film weighed as much as a duck, does that make her a witch? • NO, just because a hypothesis is true once does not make it accurate. A hypothesis must be tested over and over again and give precise results before it is accurate.
Accuracy vs. Precision • Q: If we weighed the woman again on the same scales would we have the same the same result? • Q: If we get the same results, isn’t the theory of the woman being a witch TRUE? • NO, hypothesis must be tested in many different places with different reliable pieces of equipment.
Accuracy vs. Precision Q1: If we weighed the woman again on the same scales would we have the same the same result? Is the test the villagers used accurate? Precise? Q2: If we get the same results, isn’t the theory of the woman being a witch TRUE? Use your definitions of Accuracy and Precision to answer this question! • Accuracy and Precision.flv
Independent Variable (IV) vs. Dependent variables (DV) • Independent Variable: Variable that is manipulated. • ALWAYS ON THE X AXIS (bottom axis) • Dependent Variable: Variable that changes as a result of the independent variable. • The thing that’s measured • ALWAYS ON THE Y AXIS (side axis)
For example… 3M HCl with shell 1M HCl with shell Water with shell 2M HCl with shell
Types of variables • Independent variable (IV)– What we change on purpose (Eg. how acidic the water is) • Dependent variable (DV) – What we measure as the result (Eg. How much shells have dissolved after 3 days) • Controlled variables (constants) – What we keep the same to keep the experiment fair (Eg. The amount of acids and water; the type of shell; the temperature of the environment) • In most experiments there is ONE independent variable, ONE dependent variable and many controlled variables
Remember… • Cows Moo Softly • Change one thing- Independent • Measure one thing- Dependent • Keep everything else the same- Constants
Controlled variables vscontrol 3M HCl with shell 1M HCl with shell Water with shell 2M HCl with shell • Independent variable - concentration of acid • Dependent variable – how much each shell dissolves • Controlled variables (constants) – time of experiment, amount of acid and water, type of shell • Control – the water with shell, what we compare to