Scientific Method Flashcards
What is the scientific inquiry process?
Make an observation followed by an inference
Ask a Testable Question
Form a Hypothesis
Design an Experiment to Test Your Hypothesis
Identify Independent/Dependent/Control Variables / List of materials/ Procedure
Collect & Display Data (observations table)
Analyze & Discuss Results (sources of errors)
Make a conclusion: data supports or does not support hypothesis
What is Science?
how we learn about what is happening around us, how things work and why things happen!
Science is not only the knowledge you read in textbooks.
Rather, it is the process used to “generate” this knowledge.
The Scientific Inquiry Process
Make an Observation
Ask a Question
Form a Hypothesis
Conduct an Experiment
Accept Hypothesis OR Reject Hypothesis
Science Relies on _____ & ______
Science involves observation and inference.
What is an observation?
Observation: refers to using the five senses to gather information.
(touch, smell, taste, sound, sight)
What is an inference?
Inference: making explanations from observations, prior knowledge and reasoning (often involves things that are not directly observable)
Example: When you entered the room, you most likely inferred that the individual in the front of the room is the teacher.
Example: subatomic particles
What is Empirical evidence?
CLUES!! Empirical evidence refers to both QUANTITATIVE & QUALITATIVE data that science relies on
What is Quantitative Data?
Measurable or countable
Examples:
height of plants in cm
voltage across a resistor
time to run 100m
What you measured!!
What is Qualitative Data?
Describable, not measurable
Examples:
Strawberry tastes sweet
The glass is very brittle
Roses are red
What you heard, smelled, felt or saw!!
What Makes A Good (Testable) Question?
Good questions are formed from accurate observations
A testable question is one that can be answered by designing & conducting an experiment
With a focus on changing one thing to see what the effect is on another thing
Testable question formats
Does changing ______________ effect ______________?
How does changing ______________ effect ______________?
If I change ______________, will it effect ______________?
(In a scientific experiment, we call the 2 blanks VARIABLES)
What is a variable?
any factor that can affect the results of an experiment; a factor that can change or have a number of different values
What are the three types of variables?
Independent, Dependent & Controlled Variables
What is a INDEPENDENT variable?
Independent variable: one that is deliberately changed or selected by the investigator
The variable that you (the experimenter) purposely manipulate
A good experiment tests only one independent variable at a time
What is a DEPENDENT variable?
Dependent variable: one that changes in response to the independent variable, but is not directly controlled by the investigator
The dependent variable is the variable that is being measured
The values obtained from the dependent variable vary with the changes in the independent variable
The purpose of an experiment is to study the relationship between the independent variable and the dependent variable
What are controls/controlled variables?
Controls/controlled variables: factors that are kept the same in a controlled experiment.
Types of Relationships: Cause & Effect
When I change variable X (independent variable), it causes a change in variable Y (dependent variable)
X is DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE for the change in Y
What is the cause in variables?
cause - independent variable
what is the effect in variables?
effect - dependent variable
Types of Relationships: Correlation
Variables X & Y are related to each other BUT X DOES NOT cause Y (at least, we aren’t sure that it does)
What does a positive correlation look like?
(positive slope)
What does a negative correlation look like?
(negative slope)
What does no correlation look like?
(scattered)
How to make a question a testable question?
Think of a CAUSE and an EFFECT related to the question.
Identify possible INDEPENDENT VARIABLES (things you can manipulate/change)
- Amount of water, Amount of sunlight, Soil type
Identify the possible DEPENDENT VARIABLES (things you can measure)
- Height of plant or Speed of growth
What is a hypothesis?
hypothesis is a prediction of the outcome of an experiment.
predicts the effects that the independent variable will have on the dependent variable
What three words would you use in your hypothesis?
If…then…because…
After the word “If”… explain what will change in the investigation.
After the word “then” …write what you predict will happen as a result of that change
After the word “because” …explain why you think the result will happen
What is the experiment procedure
Write a step-by-step procedure to test the hypothesis.
Usually written in past passive tense
Example: 4.5g of copper was weighed on an electronic balance using a scoopula.
An experimenter changes one factor and observes or measures what happens.
Complete at least 3 trials for each independent variable.
How many trials should be completed for each independent variable?
atleast 3 trials per each independent variable
Data collection
Record the results (qualitative or quantitative observations) of the experiment.
Can be organized into charts, tables, or graphs
Analysis
Interpret the general patterns/trends of your results (use words like increasing, decreasing, remains stable, clustered, evenly distributed etc)
Explain how the results relate back to your testable question
Discussion
Describe the sources of errors.
What improvements would you make to your experiment the next time.
Conclusion
Summarize the most important findings in a sentence or two.
Accept or reject the original hypothesis.
