Transcript TheScientificMethodAPS.pptx

The Scientific Method
September 11, 2012
Mr. Alvarez
The Survivor’s Dilemma
Do Now: You are shipwrecked on a dessert island with
no contact to anyone. You are thirsty, but surrounded
by salt-water. You remember the captain had said that
one of the containers on the ship contained drinking
water, but the other contained a toxic substance. In the
two beakers in front of the class are those two
indistinguishable liquids. One is safe to drink (pure,
clean water) and the other liquid is an unknown and
toxic substance. Answer the following questions:
1. Make general observations about both the beaker on the
left, and the beaker on the right
2. What could you do to determine which liquid is safe to
drink?
3. Which one would you drink?
The Scientific Method
The Scientific Method
Scientific Method- A series of steps followed
to solve problems including collecting data,
formulating a hypothesis, testing the
hypothesis and stating conclusions
Steps to the Scientific Method may vary
Research often leads to new problems and new
hypothesis
Variable- a factor that changes in an
experiment in order to test a hypothesis
The Scientific Method
1. Observe: Observe anything in nature
2. Formulate a question: What do you want to
know?
3. Research and collect data: What is already
known about your question?
4. Form a hypothesis: Propose an answer to
your question based on observations,
research and data
The Scientific Method cont.
5. Test the Hypothesis: Set up an experiment to
test the validity to your hypothesis
6. Record and Analyze Results: Record
observations in journal or lab notebook and
study the outcome
7. Draw a conclusion: Did the results support
your hypothesis? If not, modify the
hypothesis based on observations
Importance of a Controlled Experiment
Controlled Experiment-an experiment in
which only one variable is changed at a time
Control-a person, group, event, etc., that is
used as a constant and unchanging standard
of comparison in scientific experimentation.
Examples of Controls
If you want to know how speed affects gas
mileage, then speed is the only variable that
should change. The car, tires, road, wind speed
need to stay the same—be controlled. They
are control variables.
In Medicine, the placebo effect.
Bikini Bottom Experiments
1) Flower Power
SpongeBob Squarepants loves to garden and wants
to grow lots of pink flowers for his pal Sandy. He bought
a special Flower Power fertilizer to see if it will help
plants produce more flowers. He plants two plants of the
same size in separate containers with the same amount
of potting soil. He places one plant in a sunny window
and waters it every day with fertilized water. He places
the other plant on a shelf in a closet and waters it with
plain water every other day
What did SpongeBob do wrong in this experiment?
Explain?