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Scientific Method PPT

Here are the variables for the three examples: 1) IV: Weight of bowling ball DV: Speed it traveled down the lane 2) IV: Brand of paper towel DV: Amount of water absorbed per minute 3) IV: Location of the plants DV: Height of plants

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246 views27 pages

Scientific Method PPT

Here are the variables for the three examples: 1) IV: Weight of bowling ball DV: Speed it traveled down the lane 2) IV: Brand of paper towel DV: Amount of water absorbed per minute 3) IV: Location of the plants DV: Height of plants

Uploaded by

Leocadia
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Scien-

tific Method
The Steps to Success
The Scientific Method

What is the scientific


method?
It is a process that is
used to find an-
swers to questions
about the world
around us.
They provide an
organized method
for conducting and
analyzing an exper-
iment.
 What is a hypothe-
sis?
 It is an educated
guess based on ob-
servations and your
knowledge of the
topic.
 You state it as a
possible answer to
a question.
 Stated in the “If…..,
then….”
 Example: IF I water
three plants with dif-
ferent sodas, THEN
the plant that re-
ceives Sprite will
grow the tallest.
What is data?
It is information
gathered during
an experiment.
It is organized
into a data table
and displayed
visually as a
graph.
Graphs
 BAR GRAPHS: can be used to show
how something changes over time
or to compare items.

 have an x-axis (horizontal) and a
y-axis (vertical)
 the x-axis has time period or
what is being measured
 the y-axis has numbers for the
amount of stuff being measured.

 good when you're plotting data


that spans many years (or days,
weeks...), has really big changes
from year to year (or day to
day...), or when you are compar-
 LINE GRAPHS: can be used to
show how something changes
over time
 x-axis has numbers for the time
period
 y-axis has numbers for what is
being measured.
 can be used when you're plot-
ting data that has peaks (ups)
and valleys (downs), or that was
collected in a short time period.
 Used for two sets of numerical
data (ex: time and temp)
Steps of the Scientific Method

 1. Choose a problem: State the problem as


a question.
 2. Research your problem: Read, get ad-
vice, and make observations.
 3. Develop a hypothesis: Make a prediction
about what will happen.
 4. Design an experiment: Plan how you will
test your hypothesis.
 5. Test your hypothesis: Conduct
the experiment and record the
data.
 6. Organize your data: Create a
chart or graph of your data.
 7. Draw conclusions: Analyze your
data and summarize your findings.
Identifying Vari-
ables
Independent Variables
Dependent Variables
Controlled Variables (Constants)
3 Kinds of Variables

 Independent Vari-
able – something
that is changed by
the scientist
 What is tested
 What is manipu-
lated (changed)
Dependent Variable – something that
might be affected by the change in the
independent variable
 What is observed
 What is measured
 The data collected during the investigation
 “the numbers”
 Example: how tall the plant grew, how far
the paper airplane flew
Example:
Controlled Variable – a variable that is
not changed
Also called CONSTANTS
Allow for a “fair test”
Everything in the experiment except
for the IV should be kept constant
Procedure

 Give a detailed explanation of how you will conduct the


experiment to test your hypothesis
 Be clear about the variables (elements you change)
versus your constants (elements that do not change)
 A control is the group that you use as a comparison to
see if change has occurred.
 Example: In a medicine study, the group of people
who don’t get the medicine are the control group
Be very specific about how you will mea-
sure results to prove or disprove your
hypothesis. You should include a regular
timetable for measuring results or ob-
serving the projects (such as every hour,
every day, every week)
Conclusion

 Conclusion: your results or findings based on data col-


lected during the experiment
 Answer your problem/purpose statement
 What does it all add up to? What is the value of your
project?
 What further study do you recommend given the re-
sults of your experiment? What would be the next
question to ask?
 If you repeat this project, what would you change?
For Example:

Students of different ages were


given a jigsaw puzzle to put to-
gether. The scientist wanted to see
if the students’ ages affected how
long it took to put the puzzle to-
gether.
Identify the Variables in this Experi-
ment:

 Independent Variable (IV):


 Ages of the students
 Different ages were tested by the scientist
 Dependent Variable (DV):
 The time it took to put the puzzle to-
gether
 The time was observed and measured by
What were the constants?
 (1) Same puzzle
 All of the participants were tested with the
same puzzle.
 It would not have been a fair test if some
had an easy 30 piece puzzle and some had a
harder 500 piece puzzle.
 Other constants: (2) same location, (3) same
stopwatch, (4) same person timing the exper-
iment
Another Example:
 An investigation was done with an electromag-
netic system made from a battery and wire
wrapped around a nail. Different sizes of nails
were used. The number of paper clips the elec-
tromagnet could pick up was measured.
What are the Variables?

IV: Sizes of nails


These were changed by the scientist
DV: Number of paper clips picked up
The number of paper clips observed and
counted (measured)
Constants: Battery, wire, type of nail
None of these items were changed
Let’s Practice!
If I use a heavier bowling
ball, then the ball will travel
faster down the lane.
IV: weight of bowling ball
DV: speed it traveled down
lane
 2) If I use different brands of
paper towels, then Bounty will
absorb more water per minute
than Sparkle or Quilted.
 IV: brand of paper towel
 DV: amount of water absorbed
per minute
3) If I put 3 spider plants in different
locations, then the plant in the sun-
light will grow taller in a one-week
period than the plants in the closet
and basement.
IV: location of the plants
DV: height of plants

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