Why is Science Research Done?

Research is done to collect information to help develop a hypothesis (educated guess)

Science can be both a section of knowledge, and a way of knowing and figuring things out.

The main goals of most scientists is to create ways to test ideas and theories. They help to develop sense able explanations using observations as one of their main sources of evidence and use their observations as a way to form inferences.

Important Terms

An inference is a clue that leads toward a hypothesis.

Observation is based on 1 or more of the senses

Prediction is a hypothesis

Qualitative observations are descriptions that do NOT involve numbers or measurements. (Example - The ball is round and red)

Quantitative observations contain NUMERICAL measurements (Example - The mass of a book is 600g

To create a quantitative observation, you must conduct a experiments.

To create a qualitative observation, it must be an opinion or an idea what can’t be proved directly.

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is an organized plan to solve problems.

1. Questioning is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. It stems from an observation that uses who, what, where, when, and why.

2. Developing a research plan

3. Hypothesis is a testable prediction

   1. Written as an If (describe a change in the independent variable)

      _________ than (explain what would happen to the dependent variable)

4. Design an experiment, with a harsh outline. Only one variable can be changed.

5. The experiment must have 2 groups, the Experimental group which is the group that has individuals that have one variable about them tested, and the control group, which has nothing about them changed and acts as a baseline group.

Remember, in order to get the most accurate results, repeat the experiment multiple times, for multiple trials. A larger sample size and a larger trial number is always best. Make sure that you reduce your sample bias by being as random as possible.

Then, after the experiment is finished, you can organize the data into charts, graphs, pictures, diagrams, etc. See note “Biology Lab #3 Graphing and Charting.

Once your data is charted, create a conclusion based on the CER method.

The final step is to peer review. Present your findings to your peers, so they can give advice, or provide constructive criticism.