Scientific Method

Understanding Science

• Definition of Science: A discipline must adhere to the Scientific Method to be considered a science.

  • The Scientific Method ensures objectivity and accuracy through systematic information collection.

The Scientific Method Steps

1. State the Problem & Specify the Hypothesis

• Objective: Identify what to study and form a testable prediction.

  • Example: Investigating the effect of room temperature on student test performance.

  • Hypothesis: Extreme temperatures will decrease test performance, while moderate temperatures will enhance it.

2. Method

• Designing the Experiment: Execute the experiment and gather data to test the hypothesis.

  • Example Setup: Create three rooms at different temperatures:

    • Room 1: 95 degrees

    • Room 2: 55 degrees

    • Room 3: 75 degrees

  • Data Collection: Test scores from students in each room.

    • Room 1 Scores: 55, 58, 62, 46, 37

    • Room 2 Scores: 68, 66, 54, 70, 62

    • Room 3 Scores: 89, 93, 95, 88, 97

3. Results

• Data Analysis: Subject collected data to statistical analysis.

  • Example: Average test scores:

    • Room 1: 51.6

    • Room 2: 64

    • Room 3: 92.4

4. Interpretation

• Conclusions: Summarize and explain the findings.

  • Assess whether the experiment was effective and understand the reasons behind the outcomes.