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Scientific Method. A process of gathering facts through observation and formulating scientific hypotheses. What is the scientific method?. State the problem Scientists have a question that they want answered. “Do plants grow taller in the presence of sunlight?”. Step 1. Research the problem.
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A process of gathering facts through observation and formulating scientific hypotheses. What is the scientific method?
State the problem Scientists have a question that they want answered. “Do plants grow taller in the presence of sunlight?” Step 1
Research the problem. Find as much information about the problem as possible “ find out about different types of plants, soil, pots” Step 2
Make a hypothesis. A hypothesis is an educated guess. Make a statement based on your prior knowledge or research as to what you think the answer to your question is. “If a plant grows in sunlight, then it will be taller than other plants.” Step 3
Procedure Design the experiment. Write out a series of steps (directions) and get necessary materials. Ex: 2 plants, soil, water, pots, meter stick, sunlight, closet Step 4
Complete the experiment, make observations and record data Step 5
Analyze your data Create a graph of your data, repeat the experiment Step 6
Conclusion Accept, reject, or modify your hypothesis based on the analysis of your data. When a hypothesis has survived extensive testing, it may become a theory A theory is widely accepted by the scientific community and best explains observable facts. Step 7
Independent variable(IV): variable that changes as a result of the person doing the experiment graphed on the x axis Examples: time (minutes, days) Parts of an experiment
Is the effect of the independent variable; changes as a result of the IV graphed on y axis Examples: temperature, distance, height Dependent variable
Part of the experiment that does not effect the outcome of the experiment; not exposed to the independent variable Ex: sunlight vs. no sunlight Control group
The items in an experiment that never change so that the results are not skewed; stays the same throughout Ex: same plants, same soil, etc. constants
Lisa wants to test to see if a plant will grow faster if it is exposed to music. She puts one plant in a room with a radio and another plant in a room with no radio. The plants are the same type, same age, and receive the same amount of water and sunlight everyday. Each day Lisa records the height of the plant. Independent variable- Dependent variable- Constant- Control- Practice Scenario