SCIENTIFIC METHOD NOTES:
| 1.) What is the Scientific Method? | The Scientific Method is a set of steps scientists follow to answer questions & solve problems. |
| 2.) What does it mean to State the Question? (1st Step) | State the Questions by explaining the purpose of doing the experiment & why you want to know the information. Write the purpose in question form to identify the problem the experiment will solve. |
| 3.) How does a scientist Collect Information? (2nd Step) | Scientists collect information by conducting Preliminary Research from different resources that will help them answer the question, so they can form a hypothesis. |
| 4.) How does a Scientist form a Hypothesis? (3rd Step) | Scientists use the information they learned from their Preliminary Research to make an educated guess & prediction of the outcome of the experiment. |
| 5.) What is a Scientific Prediction? | If/Then statement that explains cause & effect and can be used to verify a hypothesis. |
| 6.) How does a Scientist Test a Hypothesis? (4th Step) | = Scientists test their hypothesis by creating an experiment with a constant and a variable, which will determine if their hypothesis is correct or incorrect. |
| 7.) What are constants and variables? | - A constant is a factor that stays the same. - A variable is a factor that changes. |
| 8.) What is a Controlled Experiment? | An experiment that tests only 1 factor at a time. |
| 9.) What is a factor? | Anything in an experiment that can change the experiment results. |
| 10.) What is meant by Experiment Materials? | A list of items needed to perform the experiment. (Like a Grocery Shopping List) |
| 11.) What is meant by Experiment Procedure? | A list of steps to be carefully followed when conducting the experiment. (Like a Recipe) |
| 12.) How do Scientists Observe? | They watch the experiment very closely, paying great attention all details. |
| 13.) How do Scientists Record & Study Data? | Data is recorded in written & picture form. Data is organized into tables and graphs and then analyzed. |
| 14.) What is data? | Recorded observations during an experiment. (Written information, photos, illustrations, or measurements.) |
| 15.) How should data be recorded? | = Organized in Data Tables. -Measurements should be graphed. |
| 16. Why does a Scientist Draw Conclusions? | = Scientists draw conclusions to determine if their hypothesis is correct or incorrect based on the data, results, and analysis of the experiment. - Thye also discuss mistakes improvements, what they learned and experiment importance. |