SCIENTIFIC METHOD Format
Question: What is the
problem that you want to solve? Write out the problem as a question.
Example:
Which hallway, 7th grade’s or 8th
grade’s, will allow me to leave the building quicker?
Background Information: This section provides
basic information that is in the question. Usually the information is
approximately one or two paragraphs.
Example:
LBMS is divided into two main hallways that converge at the door of the
building. Hallways are long aisles that
have rooms off of them. The building is a large square. Most of the 7th grade classes are
along one hallway and the 8th grade classes are along two other
hallways. The majority of students exit
the building through the front doors. The only way to reach the front doors is
by either of the two main hallways occupied by the 7th and 8th
grade classrooms.
Hypothesis: Based on the
question and the background information, you make an educated guess as to what
you think will be the answer. The answer may or may not be right, that is
okay! When writing your educated guess there is a specific format to use:
If……then…..because…. and the guess must be measureable!
Example:
If I walk at a pace of 1 meter per minute, then walking down the 7th
grade hallway will be quicker, because that hallway is shorter.
Procedures: There are four parts to this section:
safety, materials, steps, and observations. There may be issues that you want
the person who is doing this experiment to be cautious about, and here is where
you put that alert. Often specific materials are needed to conduct a lab, thus
you make a list for the person doing the experiment. The lab cannot be conducted without
directions and those need to be listed in steps. Lastly, observations of what
is happening needs to be written and sketched for future reference.
There
may be dependent and independent variables in your procedures.
An
independent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is a variable that
stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables you are trying to
measure. For example, someone's age might be an independent variable. Other
factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much television
they watch) aren't going to change a person's age. In fact, when you are
looking for some kind of relationship between variables you are trying to see
if the independent variable causes some kind of change in the other variables,
or dependent variables
Just like an independent variable, a
dependent variable is exactly what it sounds like. It is something that depends
on other factors. For example, a test score could be a dependent variable
because it could change depending on several factors such as how much you
studied, how much sleep you got the night before you took the test, or even how
hungry you were when you took it. Usually when you are looking for a
relationship between two things you are trying to find out what makes the
dependent variable change the way it does.
Many people have trouble remembering which
one is the independent variable and which is the dependent variable. An easy
way to remember is to insert the names of the two variables you are using in
this sentence in the way that makes the most sense. Then you can figure out
which is the independent variable and which is the dependent variable:
(Independent variable) causes a change in
(Dependent Variable) and it isn't possible that (Dependent Variable) could
cause a change in (Independent Variable). For example:
(Time Spent Studying) causes a change in
(Test Score) and it isn't possible that (Test Score) could cause a change in
(Time Spent Studying).
We see that "Time Spent Studying"
must be the independent variable and "Test Score" must be the
dependent variable because the sentence doesn't make sense the other way around
Example
of Procedures with an independent and dependent variable:
Safety:
1. Be careful not
to run into other people as you walk down the hallway.
2. Be careful of
obstacles on the floor or in your way as you walk down the hallway.
Materials:
Stopwatch
Measuring
device
Floor
plan
Procedures:
1. Gather all
materials
2. Look at floor
plan of school
3. At the
beginning of the walk down the 7th grade hallway start the
stopwatch.
4. When the walk
reaches the doors leading out of the building stop the watch.
5. Record the
time on paper
6. Measure the
distance from the beginning of your walk to the front door.
7. Record the
measurement.
8. Repeat steps 3
– 5 two more times.
9. Look at the
floor plan of the school.
10.
At
the beginning of the walk down the 8th grade hallway start the
stopwatch.
11.
When
the walk reaches the doors leading out of the building stop the watch.
12.
Record
the time on paper.
13.
Measure
the distance from the beginning of your walk to the front door.
14.
Record
the measurement.
Data Analysis: From the
observations you documented, you construct a graph, chart or table of the
information.
|
TRIALS |
TIME
min/sec |
DISTANCE
meters |
|
7TH
GRADE HALLWAY – TRIAL 1 |
|
|
|
7th
GRADE HALLWAY – TRIAL 2 |
|
|
|
7TH
GRADE HALLWAY – TRIAL 3 |
|
|
|
8TH
GRADE HALLWAY – TRIAL 1 |
|
|
|
8TH
GRADE HALLWAY – TRIAL 2 |
|
|
|
8TH
GRADE HALLWAY – TRIAL 3 |
|
|
Conclusion: From the
information you obtained and tabled you can determine if your educated guess
was right or wrong. There is a specific format for addressing this section.
Example:
My hypothesis was valid because traveling down the 7th grade hallway
proved to be quicker. This was validated by the measurement of the length of
the hallway which was shorter by ___ meters. The independent variable of
traveling and measuring the 8th grade hallway proved my hypothesis
was conclusive.
Repeat Work: Scientists
always discover a variable that arises during their experiment. This challenge
results in the need to repeat the experiment but perhaps with a tweak. This is
the area that the changes are described.
Example:
Depending on the time of day, when students are released from class or for the
end of the day, the times varied greatly. In the next experiment, specific
times should be done using both hallways. The specific times would be 8:00 am,
12:00 pm and 3:35 pm.