Scientific Method

Science & the Scientific Method What is Science? Science is one way of describing and explaining events in the natural world Other ways of describing and explaining events in the natural world include art, theology, philosophy and religion What are the rules for Scientific Theories? A scientific theory is a statement that attempts to describe and explain a natural phenomenon Science theories must be testable Science theories must have predictive power What is the Scientific Method? Observation Gather Information Hypothesis Experiment Collect Data Analyze Data and draw Conclusions Hypothesis •A prediction to the outcome of your experiment or the relationship between (usually if, then format) •If the ball is dropped from a higher height, then it will bounce higher. •“If” is the independent variable. –Variable manipulated by the experimenter –The height the ball is dropped from •“Then” is the dependent variable. –The responding variable (usually a measurement done AFTER changing the independent variable). –The height the ball bounces. Designing an Experiment Experiments involve two groups: The Control Group: all conditions are kept the same Provides a baseline to compare to your experimental groups The Experimental Group: (the test group) all conditions are kept the same except for the single condition being tested Variable One of the variables is changed Independent Variable: the variable determined and controlled by the experimenter Dependent Variable: is dependent on the independent variable and changes as the independent variable does