SL: Scientific Method Lesson

The Scientific Method

Questions to Consider After Watching the Video

1. What was the original problem or question the scientists in the video were trying to answer?
2. In reality, is science a step-by-step, linear process?
3. Does science conclude or close?
4. Is the process of science done in isolation?
5. Was there one, or more than one, hypothesis in solving this problem?
6. How does this method apply to our daily life?

How Does Science Work?

Have you ever lost your phone? Ever wonder why something you cooked did not taste quite right? Do you try to win at video games? These are some questions you may come across in your day-to-day life. Did you know you can use the scientific method to help you with these questions and more?

The Scientific Method

Before we spend time reviewing the steps of the scientific method, take a look at the following graphic organizer to help guide you through the information.

Scientific Method Steps

1. Observation: Using our senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell) to collect information about the problem we are trying to solve.
2. Hypothesis: A possible solution to a problem that can be tested. It is usually written in the If..then..statement. This means that “if X changes, then Y results”.
3. Experimentation: A scientist will then conduct a series of steps to test his or her hypothesis. In this class, the experiments you conduct will be controlled experiments. This means that only one variable will change and you measure the results of changes in that variable.
   1. Independent Variable: What the experimenter changes.
   2. Dependent Variable: The results from changes in the independent variable.
4. Collect Information: Data is information collected during an experiment. The scientist should avoid bias (personal opinion) when collecting data.
   1. Quantitative Data: Information involving numbers and the metric system.
   2. Qualitative Data: Information that cannot be easily measured or counted.
5. Organize: Arrange the data into an easy-to-read format, like a table.
6. Interpret: Create a graph to see if there is a pattern or relationship between the variables.
7. Conclusion: Was the hypothesis supported by the data collected? If it was refuted (the data did not support the hypothesis), what are some possible reasons why? What are some possible sources of error? What would be a good follow-up experiment?
8. Communicate Results: Share information with others and present findings to the scientific community. Other scientists may try to repeat the experiment to see if similar results are obtained.

The presentation below will walk through the steps of the scientific method.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

1. How can you use your senses to gather information?
2. How do you write a hypothesis?
3. What are you testing in the experiment?
4. What is the difference between dependent and independent variables?
5. What types of data are there?
6. What happens if your hypothesis was incorrect?

Let's take a closer look at a very interesting and true story that began with a Hungarian doctor investigating the deaths of women in his maternity ward. Click through the presentation below to learn more about Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis.

As you go through the presentation, ask yourself the following questions:

• In what ways did he use the scientific method?
• Did he repeat any steps?
• Were any steps missing?

The Scientific Method Challenge and Before You Go

Practice Time! Use the knowledge you learned from the lesson to complete the practice activities below.

Before You Go, You Need To Know

The following key points are from the explore section of the lesson. You must know the following information before moving to the next lesson. This is just a summary of the key points.

1. A CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT is a method for testing a hypothesis where only one variable is changed or manipulated.
   • A controlled experiment is a test for a hypothesis. The factors in the experiment that change are called variables. It is best to set up an experiment in which only one variable is being tested. All other variables should be unchanging or controlled. This is why we call it a controlled experiment.
2. THE STEPS FOR THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD:
   1. OBSERVATION
   2. HYPOTHESIS
   3. EXPERIMENTATION
   4. COLLECT, ORGANIZE & INTERPRET DATA
   5. COMMUNICATE FINDINGS
3. SCIENTIFIC METHOD APPLICATIONS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE:

In the example below, the scientific method is used to solve an everyday problem. Order the scientific method steps (numbered items) with the process of solving the everyday problem (lettered items). Based on the results of the experiment, is the hypothesis correct? If it is incorrect, propose some alternative hypotheses.

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