(COP) Scientific Investigations Lesson

Scientific Investigations

At this point in your schooling career, you have heard of the scientific method.  In this lesson we will investigate what exactly it is and how it works. The scientific method is used by scientists, but also by anyone who wants to understand how the world works or how to solve a problem. In other words, the scientific method is a useful tool for organizing a process to get to the heart of a problem. Watch the following videos. The video is in two parts to enable quicker load time. It will provide an introduction to the Scientific Method. 

Scientific Method Part 1 Video

Scientific Method Part 2 Video

What is the Scientific Method?

Every day you observe a great variety of objects and situations. Over hundreds of years, curiosity has led people to explore and categorize a tremendous amount of information. Generations of people have asked questions and recorded facts. Through the collection of these facts, we now have a set of physical laws that can explain much of what we observe in our day-to-day life.

When we are curious about how something works or how to solve a problem, what is a systematic way to go about looking for answers? The answer would be to use the scientific method. The scientific method can be used to answer any kind of question, both those that are scientific and those that are not. Below is a list of steps that help to organize solving a problem. However, it is important to note that these steps can be in any order and often end up cyclical as you continue to learn more and test more. It is best to think of the scientific method as a flexible process that can be organized in many different steps depending on the specific situation. Look at the various images below to see the numerous versions of the scientific method.

 

Scientific Method Steps

Steps of the Scientific Method
Determine the Problem/Ask a Question. Make sure only one problem is being studied and that all of the components have been clearly defined.  For instance, if my problem is what causes my book to fall quickly off of my desk; I would need to define "fall quickly" as this could mean different things to different people.
Conduct Research/Make Observations. What do you already know about the topic?  What observations have you made?  What information is currently known on the topic?  Examples of places to collect information on a topic include libraries, the Internet, books, magazines, personal interviews, etc.
Make a Hypothesis. This means to make an educated guess as to the outcome of the problem.
Develop a Controlled Experiment to test the hypothesis.
Collect and Analyze Data. You should record all of your observations.  You should not only collect the data to support your hypothesis, but all of your observations.  You should also try to avoid collecting subjective data like how soft something is or how good something smells.
Form a Conclusion.  The conclusion may or may not support the hypothesis.  It is important to remember that scientists should be seeking unbiased answers to the problems. One should never change the data to support a hypothesis.

It is important to remember that the scientific method is NOT a rigid set of rules, but rather a framework for investigating a problem. The order of steps may be altered, and the experiment may certainly be repeated many times before reaching a conclusion.

Example

Problem:  The lamp at my desk does not work when I turn on the switch.

Conduct Research/Make Observations: Look for any clues as to why the lamp does not work.  For instance, is the lamp plugged in, is there visible signs the light bulb blew, do other appliances work when plugged into that outlet, etc.

Make a Hypothesis:  If the light bulb is changed, then the lamp will work again.

Develop a controlled experiment:  Place the current light bulb in a fixture that is known to be working to ensure that it is the light bulb that is causing the problem.  If no light is produced, then place a working light bulb into the lamp on the desk.  If the light bulb does work in the fixture then the problem is not the light bulb and a new hypothesis needs to be made and tested.

Form a conclusion: This is only done after the data, from the experiment, has been collected and analyzed.

Applying the Scientific Method

The scientific method can be used to solve any problem, even a problem like "How do I make an A in this course?".  Look at the steps below.

Applying the Scientific Method Example

Steps	Example	Actions Taken
Determine the Problem/Ask a Question.	I need to make an A in this Physical Science Course.	Be sure to define aspects of the problem. For instance, an A = 90% or above.
Conduct Research/Make Observations	What will it take for me to make an A? How have students been successful in the past? How much time should I plan on spending in the course each day? Can I work ahead of schedule?	Talk to the instructor asking for advice on being successful in the course. Develop a plan to have uninterrupted time spent on the course each day Develop an organized method of keeping up with and submitting assignments.
Make a Hypothesis.	If I follow my schedule daily, am organized, and implement the advice of my instructor; then I will make an A in this course.
Develop a Controlled Experiment	Perform an experiment to see if your hypothesis works.	Print out the course calendar schedule. Work daily on assignments Read feedback from my instructor for each assignment submitted Stay organized in saving assignments, keeping a log of what assignments have been submitted, etc.
Collect and Analyze Data	Analyze the results from the first two weeks and make adjustments if necessary.	Review grades
Form a Conclusion.	Do you have an A?	If making an A then continue following the same steps. If making less than an A, determine what adjustments should be made to improve to get an A.   (Like attending live chat sessions, asking for additional resources from my instructor for confusing concepts, etc.)

The next time you ask yourself how something works or you wonder why something is the way that it is, try out the scientific method and see what answers you can find out.

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