THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
•What is the scientific method?
•What are the steps of the scientific method?
•Does the scientific method only work in
science class?
Steps of the scientific method
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Observation and Research
Problem/Question
Hypothesis
Procedure
Data Analysis
Conclusion
Communicate
OBSERVATION AND RESEARCH

May be done before or after you pose a
formal problem
◦ Gives you a question to answer or
◦ Helps you formulate a hypothesis
PROBLEM/PURPOSE/QUESTION
This what you want to solve.
 Research may lead to this problem
 Research may be done after problem is
formed.
 Sample problem: Will fertilizer effect
how tall a plant will grow?

HYPOTHESIS
Prediction based on prior knowledge
 FORMAT: If x happens, then y happens,
because ________________.
 Example:

◦ Question: Will fertilizer affect how tall a plant
will grow?
◦ Hypothesis: IF fertilizer is added to a plant,
THEN, it will grow taller BECAUSE the plant
will gain more energy and nutrients to grow.
HYPOTHESIS PRACTICE
◦ What is the effect of a new drug on the number of
offspring a mother mouse has?
IF ________________ THEN ______________________
B/C__________________________________________
◦ What effect does temperature have on the
number of chirps a cricket produces?
◦ IF ________________ THEN ______________________
B/C__________________________________________
◦ What effect does 24 hours of light have on a plant?
◦ IF ________________ THEN ______________________
B/C__________________________________________
VARIABLES and CONTROLS
The factors that you are testing or changing in an
experiment
 INDEPENDENT VARIABLE: the one factor you
change in your procedure
 DEPENDENT VARIABLE: the factor that changes due
to the independent variable being changed

◦ EXAMPLE: If I change the amount of fertilizer on a plant,
(independent variable) then the plants will grow taller
(dependent variable) because they will gain more energy and
nutrients to grow

CONTROL: this is the experimental set-up where
nothing changes
◦ If the amount of fertilizer on a plant is changing, then I would
have a set-up in “normal” condition (no factors changed- this
case NO FERTILIZER would be added to the control)
PROCEDURE
Steps to gather data
 Should be reproducible
 Do not use: “I”, “We”, “Our”, etc…
 Listed, numbered, specific

1. Gather materials
2. Use graduated cylinder to measure 25
ml of water.
DATA
Observations, Measurements,
Calculations, Drawings, etc…
 Presented as:

Temper
ature (
°C)
Time
(s)
◦ Graphs: line, pie, bar, etc…
◦ Tables/charts,
◦ Venn diagrams and graphic
organizers,
◦ Pictures, photos
CONCLUSION

Summarizes your process and findings
◦ Restate hypothesis
◦ Was the hypothesis proven or disproven? What in
your data explains your results?
 Use examples from data section to explain relationships
between variables
 Refer back to your charts and graphs to direct the reader to
the correct information

Analyze errors
◦ What went wrong?
◦ How did it affect your results? (BE SPECIFIC)

Make new predictions
◦ What would you change next time? (steps, or
materials)
◦ What do you hope to see (data-wise) with these
changes?