Scientific Inquiry
Scientists are…
• CURIOUS – they ask questions that make them want
to investigate.
• OBSERVANT – they look at the world around them
• CREATIVE – they think about what they already know
to explain their observations and come up with plans
to test their ideas
• SKEPTICAL – they question their own conclusions
and except only explanations based on evidence
Science is the continuous
process of asking
questions and seeking
answers!
Scientific Inquiry
The process that allows us
to think about and design
an experiment to help us
find the answers to our
questions!
Scientific Inquiry
• Problem
• Hypothesis
• Experiment
– Materials
– Procedure
- Variables/Controls
- Observations
• Results
– Charts/Graphs
• Conclusion
• Limitations
Problem
• Identify by asking a question
• Only part of the process that will
end with a question mark.
• As you do research/perform the
experiment… you make ask
more questions!
Our example…
Which brand of paper
towels is the most
absorbent?
Hypothesis
Thinkers…
• Tentative explanation
• Educated guess/prediction
• What do you think will happen
when you perform your experiment?
Written in the form of an IF/THEN statement.
IF three brands of paper towels are tested, THEN
Bounty will be the most absorbent.
Experiment
An organized procedure used to study
something under controlled conditions.
Consists of two parts:
Materials
Procedure
• Materials – items needed to
perform the experiment
– Graduated cylinder, beaker, lab sheet, pencil,
paper towels, triple beam balance, water
• Procedure – sequence of actions or
instructions to be followed
1.
– The STEPS of the experiment!
2.
3.
4.
5.
Variables
• Independent Variable (IV) –
the factor being tested:
paper towels
• Dependent Variable (DV) –
y axis
DV
x axis
IV
the factor being measured:
amount of water the paper towels absorb
Constants
• Factors that remain the same throughout
the experiment
• Examples:
– The size of the paper towel
– The type of liquid used
– Using same balance to mass wet towels
– OTHERS?
Control
• Serves as a basis for
comparison
• Ex: a paper towel
that is not wet
Trials
• The number of time the IV’s are tested
• The more the better!
Not this kind!
Observations
• Made during the course of an experiment
using your senses or equipment
• Often recorded in data tables
• Examples:
– Temperatures
– Times
– Color changes
Data
• One type of observation
• Evidence collected during a lab
TRIAL
TEMP
1
2
3
4
Results
• We often use charts
and graphs to show
our results.
• You may also write
results statements
that put your
observations/data into
paragraph form.
Conclusion
• Statement indicating whether your hypothesis was
correct or incorrect.
• Use one of the following in your conclusion:
– Supported
– Rejected
– Could neither support nor reject
Example:
The results of my experiment rejected my hypothesis…
go on to tell why.
Limitations
• Unforeseen problems
with an experiments
design
• What went wrong during
the lab.
• Examples:
– Complete more trials
– Test more paper towel
brands
– We spilt something beside
water on the towels
– Used the wrong mass
– Forgot to test one brand
Click the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZaCy5
Z87FA&app=desktop