The Scientific Method

biology

the study of living organisms

botany

study of plants

microbiology

study of small things such as bacteria

zoology

study of animals

ecology

study of enviroment

genetics

study of genes

biochemistry

study of chemical processes that take place in organisms

anatomy

study of organs, muscles, structure of organisms

cytology

study of cells

immunology

study of immune system of organisms

marine biology

study of organisms in the ocean

the scientific method

a series of investigations to identify problems and explain these by means of carrying out experiments

observation

noting or registering a phenomenon

hypothesis

a possible, untested explanation for the observation

experiment

a test to prove or disprove the hypothesis

data

the information gathered from testing

conclusion

the results of the testing are summarized

theory

a hypothesis that has been proven by experiments a number of times

principle

a theory that has been proven by experiemnts many, many times

limitationd of scientific method

extent of our knowledge, our ability to understand results, accidental discoveries, changes in the enviroment, and the basis of investigation

the extend of our knowledge

forming a hypothesis and designing an experiement depends on the amount we know relating to our observations

our ability to understand the results

if the results of an experiemnt are interpreted wrongly, then faulty conclusions and hypotheses will be drawn

accidental discoveries

new insights are often discovered accidentally which have contributed to the development of scientific thinking

changes in eviroment

scientific method may only apply to living things at one particular time, as living things are constatnly evolving, hypotheses must constantly be changed

the basis of investigation

if an investigation is badly designed or improperly carried out it will not yield results that are as valid as they should be

where results of experiemnts can be published

internet, scientific journals, and newspapers/magazines

how to make experiments fair

random selection, replication, use a large sample size, and double blind testing

random selection

to avoid bias, dont accidently select a certain type of sample

replication

to verify your results, if it can be repeated, the results can be shown to be always true and not caused by some unknown influence

use a large sample size

to ensure that the result was not only representative of a small amount of organisms, the large the sample size, the less risk there is that results are due to individual differences, ratjer than being caused by the factor that is being investigated

double blind testing

to avoid bias, give a placebo

variable

what is going to change in your experiment

control

set up a comparison for your experiment, used to provide a standard against which can be judged

plan and design

use reagents and instruments needed for experiment and methods that will be used

saftey procedures

ensure experiment is safe ex. googles, gloves, lab coat

sources of error

miscounting, misidentification of suvstance/organism, bias

ethical issues

ethics refers to the concept of whether something is right or wrong ex. cloning