Scientific Method
The 3rd step of the Scientific Method. A statement you plan to evaluate during your experiment.
What is a hypothesis?
Finish the Hypothesis.....If you drink coffee before going to bed,
then it will take longer to fall asleep.
A set of procedures consisting of observation, measurement, and experiment to help us investigate the natural world.
What is the Scientific Method?
Identify the Independent Variable:
Calcium is important for healthy bones. Milk contains calcium. A nutritionist studies if people who drink milk have healthier bones. He takes 100 people who report drinking milk daily, and 100 people who never drink milk. He performs a bone density test on each person, and determines their overall bone health.
What is some drink milk, some do not?
Identify the Dependent Variable:
You want to test if insect repellant will actually keep away mosquitoes. You spray insect repellent on 3 people and no insect repellant on 3 other people. You count the number of mosquito bites they each receive.
What is the number of mosquito bites?
The seventh step of the Scientific Method. This is when you explain your results and whether your hypothesis was correct.
What is report conclusions?
Finish the Hypothesis...If you get at least 6 hours of sleep,
you will do better on tests than if you get less sleep.
Variables that stay the same throughout the experiment.
What are control variables?
Identify the Independent Variable:
Your local farmer wants to grow the biggest pumpkin possible so she can win the “biggest pumpkin” contest at the state fair. She grows one pumpkin in manure and one pumpkin in regular soil, then determines their mass when they are full grown.
What is the soil used for the pumpkins (manure versus regular)?
NOT so Dependent - Identify the CONTROL variables:
A test is given to 3 students that have the same intelligence level (IQ). Each student was asked to study a different amount of time (one for 15 mins, one for 30 mins and one for 60 mins). They were given the same study materials and they took the same test at the same time.
What is IQ level, the study material, the test, and the testing environment?
The 6th step of the Scientific Method. This is often aided by drawing charts or tables for your information.
What is Analyze Data?
Finish the Hypothesis...if you study for one hour,
then you are likely to get 100% on your test.
A statement that predicts an experiment's outcome based on what you already know.
What is a Hypothesis?
Identify the Independent Variable:
Several roses are given plant food. Several other roses (of the same type) are not given plant food. The scientist counts the number of blooms on each flower spike to determine if plant food increased the number of blooms per spike.
What is the amount of plant food they were given?
Identify the Dependent Variable:
Your band teacher wants to find out if listening to the songs you are learning helps you actually play them better. He has 6 trumpet players learn the song only by reading the music and practicing the song. He has 6 other trumpet players read the music, practice the song, and listen to a CD with the song on it. He then asks the students to perform the song and listens for mistakes.
What is the number of mistakes made while playing?
The Second step of the Scientific Method. This is when you look for information to help answer your questions and observations.
What is Research?
Finish the Hypothesis....If a solution is more acidic and saltier,
then it is likely to clean a penny better.
This changes as a result of the experiment. The variable that you will measure.
What is a dependent variable?
Identify the Independent Variable:
A researcher wants to know who enjoys summer vacation more - students or teachers. In July, he surveys 1000 school-age students and 1000 teachers to determine their level of happiness.
Who are the respondents (teachers versus students)?
Identify the Dependent Variable:
A student wants to determine if giving a teacher gifts causes the teacher to give less homework. He gives his math teacher a fancy calculator and his science teacher one million dollars. He does not give gifts to his ELA teacher or his social studies teacher. He then records how much homework each teacher assigns throughout the year.
What is the amount of homework assigned?
The 5th Step of the Scientific Method (when you record information from your experiment).
What is Collect Data?
It is a statement. It predicts the results of an experiment. It is testable. It explains the relationship between variables. It does not contradict existing knowledge.
What are the 5 key elements of a good hypothesis?
The variable that the person doing the experiment changes in order to test a hypothesis. It stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables.
What is an independent variable?
Identify the Independent Variable:
Your local dog groomer tells you that dogs who get groomed regularly get less fleas and ticks. You decide to test this on your own 4 dogs (You have a German Shepherd, a Chihuahua, a Pomeranian, and a mutt, in case you forgot.) You get two of your dogs groomed every 2 weeks and let the other 2 dogs get completely stinky and un-groomed. After 3 months, you examine the dogs for the presence of fleas and ticks.
What is whether or not the dogs were groomed?
Identify the Dependent Variable:
There is a hypothesis that children who are raised with animals and are exposed to germs have stronger immune systems than children who are raised in super clean homes with no animals. A doctor examines the medical records of 100 12 year olds who were raised with pets and 100 12 year olds who were raised with no pets. She counts the number of times that each child has been diagnosed with an infection.
What is the number of times they are diagnosed with an infection?