The Scientific
Method
Click One of the Following To
Start Your Tour
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Testable Question
Writing A Hypothesis
Gathering Materials
Writing A Procedure
Conducting The Investigation
Recording Data
Drawing Conclusions and Sharing Results
Quiz and Activity (Do Not Click Until All Others Have Been Studied)
The Testable Question
(Problem)
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Before you start an
experiment you must
have a reason to do it.
You need to have a
question that can be
answered through an
investigation
This is called a
“Testable Question.”
Examples of the Testable
Question
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Does the amount of sunlight a plant gets
affect how it grows?
Does the size of the hole in the bottom of a
sinking water clock affect how fast it sinks?
Does caffeine affect reaction time in middle
school students?
Which disinfectant works the best on
household germs?
These Are Not Testable
Questions
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Is Jerry Rice the best receiver of all time?
Does water smell good?
Is the cafeteria food good?
Will the school be open tomorrow?
You cannot answer these questions with an
experiment. Opinion questions are not
testable.
Gathering Materials
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In order to do an
experiment, you must
make a list of the
equipment you will use.
This list is written above
your procedure.
It allows other people to
do your experiment
without having to ask you
what they need.
Writing a Hypothesis
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A hypothesis is an
“educated guess” about
the out come of your
experiment.
In order to make this
guess, you must rely on
your background
knowledge and the
research which you
conducted before you
began planning the
experiment.
Hypothesis and Research
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It is VERY important
that you conduct
research before you
make your hypothesis.
This research will give
you the information
you need to make a
hypothesis that is
scientific and accurate.
A Well Written Hypothesis
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A well written hypothesis consists of an “if”
statement and a “then” statement.
The “if” statement contains information on what
your are testing, and the “then” statement reflects
your beliefs of the outcome of the experiment.
Examples
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“If we change the size
of a hole in the bottom
of a funnel, then the
funnel will sink at a
faster rate”
“If caffeine is increased
in someone’s body,
then their reaction time
will be quicker”
Writing A Procedure
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A procedure is a list of steps
that a scientist takes to
complete the experiment.
This is a very detailed list
that is numbered in 1,2,3.....
order. It is not a
paragraph! It may include
drawings.
You know you have written
a good procedure when
someone can read it and do
the experiment exactly like
you did.
Water Clock Procedure
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1. Fill a clear, 4 liter bucket to 1 inch from the top
2. Place funnel on the top of the water with the hole facing down
3. Let funnel sink and record the time it takes to hit the bottom
4. Record this time in a data table
5. Take the funnel out of the water and place one, 3/4 inch brass
washer inside the funnel.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 4.
7. Repeat step 5 by adding two, 3/4 inch brass washers inside the
funnel.
8. Repeat steps 2 through 4
9. Repeat step 5 by adding three, 3/4 inch brass washers inside the
funnel.
10. Using your data table, make a line graph representing the sinking
times of all three funnels.
Conducting The Investigation
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It is now time to start testing
your hypothesis!
This is the step that we all
want to jump right into.
However, it is very
important that we complete
the previous steps first.
Safety is always an issue
here. Be sure to follow all
lab safety procedures while
conducting the investigation
Investigation
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If you have written a
detailed procedure,
your investigation
should go smoothly.
Simply follow the
steps in your
procedure!!
Be sure to clean up
your materials when
you have finished!
Recording Data
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All measurements in
an investigation need
to be recorded in a
data table.
The table must have a
title (related to what
you are measuring),
and appropriate labels
for the rows and
columns.
Sinking Time For Funnels (seconds)
Number
Of
Washers
Trial Number
1
2
3
Avg.
0
110
90
80
93.3
1
36
31
40
35
2
12
17
17
15
3
12
10
14
12
Graphing Your Data Table
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In order to understand and
interpret you data, you need to
make a graph.
A graph lets you see trends in
the data and it also helps you
look at the data in a way that is
easy to understand.
Remember your labels!!
Drawing Conclusions
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The final piece of the scientific
method is drawing conclusions.
In this step we analyze our data
and graphs and decide if our
hypothesis was correct or
incorrect! We always restate
our hypothesis in our
conclusion.
We discuss any trends we see
and we attempt to explain why
our hypothesis was correct or
incorrect.
This is always in paragraph
form!
Conclusion
In conclusion, I can say
that my hypothesis (if we
add more washers to the
funnel, then it will sink
faster) was correct. The
funnel did sink faster
when I added more
washers. My graph
shows a decrease in
sinking time so I have
proved that this is true.
Sharing Conclusions
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To make our experiment
complete we must share
our findings with other
people.
This can be through
discussion or a lab report
printed for a magazine.
Scientists love to read
about other’s experiments!
Sinking Water
Clocks
Quiz
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Directions: Click on the correct answer.
When you are finished with the multiple
choice part, write your score and answer the
“Fill In The Blank Questions” on a separate
piece of paper. Click next to begin!
Next
Quiz Page 1 Multiple Choice
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1. The first step in the scientific method is:
A. conducting an investigation
B. writing a testable question
C. writing a hypothesis
D. drawing conclusions
Quiz Page 2
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2. Opinion questions are:
A. testable
B. not testable
C. scientific
Quiz Page 3 Multiple Choice
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3. After writing a testable question you need to:
A. start the investigation
B. write conclusions
C. gather materials
Quiz Page 4
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4. An educated guess about the outcome of the
investigation is called a:
A. guess
B. hippopotamus
C. hypothesis
D. hyperbole
Quiz Page 5 Multiple Choice
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5. A hypothesis must contain an “____, ____”
statement:
A. here, now
B. if, not
C. if, then
D. why, why not
Quiz Page 6
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6. In a well written hypothesis, the dependent
variable can be found in the “____” statement.
A. if
B. then
Quiz Page 7 Multiple Choice
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7. When writing a procedure, it should contain lots
of:
A. words
B. paper
C. details
Quiz Page 8
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8. A procedure should be in _______ form.
A. paragraph
B. circular
C. square
D. list
Quiz Page 9 Multiple Choice
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9. If you have written a good procedure, someone
should be able to do your experiment almost like
you did.
A. True
B. False
Quiz Page 10
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10. After writing a good procedure, it is time to
start:
A. dancing
B. your engines
C. your investigation
Quiz Page 11 Fill In The Blank
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11. A ________ helps you look at data in a way
that is easy to understand. It shows trends.
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12. It is very important to place a _______ on the
top of your graph and ________ on the axis.
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13. Using the __________ method will help you
remember your graphing rules
Quiz Page 12 Fill In The Blank
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14. When doing an experiment, you record your
data in a _______ _________.
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15. A data table must also have a ________ at the
top and the ______ and ________ must be labeled
too.
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16. The final part of the scientific method is
making __________. This is when you see if your
_________ was correct.
Quiz Page 13 Fill In The Blank
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17. To make our experiment complete, we must
_______ our findings with other people.
The End Of The Quiz
You will now choose a project on the following
slide. You may only choose 1. You must work by
yourself! It will be due on the last day of the
second marking period. Please see Mr. Scheuch
for the rubric of your project.