Steps of the Scientific Method - Science Buddies

Steps of the Scientific Method

Key I nfo

? The scient ific m et hod is a way t o ask and answer scient ific quest ions by m aking observat ions and

doing experim ents.

? The st eps of t he scient ific m et hod are t o: o Ask a Question o Do Background Research o Const r uct a H ypot he sis o Test Your Hypot hesis by Doing an Experim ent o Ana lyze Your D a t a a nd D r a w a Conclusion o Com m unica t e Your Re sult s

? I t is im portant for your experim ent to be a fair test. A "fair test" occurs when you change only one

fact or ( variable) and keep all ot her condit ions t he sam e.

Overview of the Scientific Method

The scient ific m et hod is a process for experim ent at ion t hat is used t o explore observat ions and answer quest ions. Scient ist s use the scient ific m et hod t o search for cause and effect relat ionships in nat ure. I n other words, they design an experim ent so that changes to one item cause som ething else to vary in a predictable way. Just as it does for a professional scient ist , t he scient ific m et hod will help you t o focus your science fair proj ect quest ion, construct a hypothesis, design, execute, and evaluate your experim ent.

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Steps of the Scientific Method

Ask a Que st ion: The scient ific m et hod st art s when you ask a quest ion about som et hing that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?

And, in order for the scientific m ethod to answer t he quest ion it m ust be about som ething that you can m easure, preferably with a num ber. D o Ba ck gr ou nd Re se a r ch: Rat her t han st art ing from scrat ch in put t ing t oget her a plan for answering your question, you want to be a savvy scientist using library and I nternet research to help you find the best way to do things and insure that you don't repeat m istakes from the past.

Det a iled H elp for Ea ch St e p

( More inform at ion is available on t he Proj ect

Guide page of w w w . scien ceb u d d ies. or g . )

Your Quest ion

Background Research Plan

Finding I nform at ion

Bib liog r ap h y

Const r u ct a H ypot he sis: A hypot hesis is an educat ed guess about how t hings work: " I f _____[ I do this] _____, then _____[ this] _____ will happen."

You m ust st at e your hypot hesis in a way t hat you can easily m easure, and of course, your hypothesis should be constructed in a way t o help you answer your original quest ion. Te st You r H y pot h e sis by D oin g a n Ex pe r im e n t : Your experim ent t est s whet her your hypot hesis is t rue or false. I t is im por t ant for your experim ent t o be a fair t est . You conduct a fair test by m aking sure that you change only one factor at a tim e while keeping all other conditions the sam e.

Research Paper Var iab les Variables for Beginners Hy p ot h esis Experim ent al Procedure Mat erials List

You should also repeat your experim ent s several t im es t o m ake sure t hat t he first result s weren't j ust an accident. Ana lyze You r D a t a a nd D r a w a Conclusion: Once your experim ent is com plet e, you collect your m easurem ents and analyze t hem to see if your hypothesis is true or false.

Scientist s often find that their hypothesis was false, and in such cases they will construct a new hypot hesis st ar t ing t he ent ir e process of t he scient ific m et hod over again. Even if t hey find t hat their hypothesis was true, they m ay want to test it again in a new way. Com m u n ica t e You r Re su lt s: To com plet e your science fair proj ect you will com m unicat e your result s t o ot hers in a final report and/ or a display board. Professional scient ist s do alm ost exactly the sam e thing by publishing their final report in a scient ific j ournal or by present ing their result s on a poster at a scientific m eet ing.

Conduct ing an Experim ent

Dat a Analy sis & Graphs Co n cl u si o n s Final Repor t Ab st r act Display Board

Science Fair Judging

Even t hough we show t he scient ific m et hod as a series of st eps, keep in m ind t hat new inform at ion or t hinking m ight cause a scient ist t o back up and repeat st eps at any point during t he process. A process like the scientific m ethod that involves such backing up and repeating is called an it erat ive process.

Throughout t he process of doing your science fair proj ect , you should keep a j ournal cont aining all of your im port ant ideas and inform at ion. This j ournal is called a laborat ory not ebook.

Page 2 of 2 Copyright ?2008 Kenneth Lafferty Hess Family Charitable Foundation. All rights reserved. . You may print and distribute up to 200 copies of this document annually, at no charge, for personal and classroom educational use. When printing this document, you may NOT modify it in any way. For any other use, please contact Science Buddies. 2008/09/14

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