 For centuries, people based their beliefs on their
interpretations of what they saw going on in the world
around them without testing their ideas to determine
the validity of these theories — in other words, they
didn’t use the scientific method to arrive at answers to
their questions. Rather, their conclusions were based
on untested observations.
Before the Scientific Method
 Observation: Every year in the spring, the Nile River
flooded areas of Egypt along the river, leaving behind
nutrient-rich mud that enabled the people to grow
that year’s crop of food. However, along with the
muddy soil, large numbers of frogs appeared that
weren’t around in drier times.
 “Conclusion”: It was perfectly obvious to people back
then that muddy soil gave rise to the frogs.
 “It has often been said that the greatest discovery in
science was the discovery of the scientific method of
discovery.”
 --Dr. James K. Feibleman, author of Scientific Method
(1972)
Identify a Problem
 Be specific
 And, in order for the scientific method to answer the
question it must be about something that you can
measure, preferably with a number.
Form a Hypothesis
 Also known as an “educated guess”
 Use your background knowledge to help you
determine the hypothesis
 Construct a Hypothesis: A hypothesis is an educated
guess about how things work:
"If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will
happen."
 You must state your hypothesis in a way that you can
easily measure, and of course, your hypothesis should
be constructed in a way to help you answer your
original question.
Research background Information
 Use books, experts, internet, journals etc.
 Sometimes you will find the answer to your question,
because someone has already done an experiment
Experiment
 Must have a control group and an experimental
group
 The experimental group can only have one variable
 Manipulated vs responding variables
 You should also repeat your experiments several times
to make sure that the first results weren't just an
accident.
Collect Data
 Make observations – technology used
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Quantitative
Qualitative
Form Data Tables, charts, graphs
Form a Conclusion
 The conclusion must be based upon the data collected.
 If your conclusion supports the hypothesis then it is
called a “theory”
 Scientists often find that their hypothesis was false,
and in such cases they will construct a new hypothesis
starting the entire process of the scientific method
over again.
Retest
 This will either reject the first conclusion, or it may
solidify it. If the theory is shown to be true for
repeated experiments it will eventually be called a
“Scientific Law”, also known as a fact.
 Communicate Your Results!