The Scientific Method Overview

The Scientific Method

• The Scientific Method steps are: Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Experiment, Record Results, Analyse Data, Conclusion
• Observations are made of the surrounding environment to identify a problem requiring further investigation
• A question is asked to gain more information about the observation and possible causes of the problem
• A Hypothesis is an educated guess based on research, formulated to explain the problem
• Experiments are conducted to test the hypothesis
• Results from experiments are recorded using graphs, tables, drawings, and descriptions
• Data is analyzed to break it up into parts which assists in understanding results
• A Conclusion is a summary of the experiment highlighting whether results supported the hypothesis

Working like a scientist

• Fair tests focus on changing one factor at a time, keeping the other factors consistent
• This helps to isolate the effect of the manipulated factor on the outcome

Investigating Plant Growth

• The problem being investigated is to determine whether light is needed for plants to grow
• An experiment is conducted using four boxes with plants inside which are exposed to varying conditions of light and air
• All boxes have holes at the top
• Boxes B, C, and D have an air inlet
• To improve the experiment, additional tests could be made using boxes with no air inlet to investigate the effect of light and air on plant growth
• The experiment could also include a box with a plant that has access to food but no light to determine whether light plays a role in the plant's growth and survival

This quiz covers the essential steps of the scientific method, from observation to conclusion. Explore how to formulate hypotheses, conduct experiments, and analyze results. Understand the importance of fair testing in scientific investigations.