The Scientific Method of problem solving

A Poor Hypothesis

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The basic steps:

  1. State the problem - a problem can't be solved if it isn't understood.
  2. Form a hypothesis - a possible solution, formed after gathering information about the problem.
  3. Test the hypothesis - an experiment is an organized set of procedures performed to determine if the hypothesis solves the problem or not.
  4. Draw conclusions - In it's simplest form, the conclusion will be "yes" the hypothesis was correct, or "no" the hypothesis was not correct.

 


Click on each step for details.
 

Scientific theory - a generally accepted explanation of a concept or a broad explaination of a natural phenomena.

Scientific law or principle - a description of a natural phenomena that does not vary.

Experimental design:   (bio lab 255)   (bio lab 294)   (bot lab 024)   (zo lab 034)

The foundation of any scientific investigation is its experimental design, a logical outline that guides the gathering and evaluation of information. It is the researcher's plan for testing the validity of a hypothesis. Much thought and hard work accompany the development of a hypothesis and experiments that will yield clear results. A scientist's ability to ask key questions and to formulate them into testable hypotheses may largely determine the success or failure of a given research project.

The very nature of some questions requires estimations or assumptions to be made. Whenever estimations or assumptions are part of the experimental design, they must be clearly stated and justified as part of the experiment. Any estimation is based on some type of data. The data must be shown as well as the calculations that lead to the final estimate. An assumption is based on some fact. Any assumptions that are key to the experimental design must be stated as well as the reason for starting with this assumption.

Three factors are essential for good experimental design:

  • First, proper controls must be incorporated into each experiment. A control group receives the same treatment as the experimental group except that the factor being tested is applied to the experimental group only, not to the control.

  • Second, experiments must be repeated enough times to allow comparisons between experimental and control groups. It is through such repetition that data can be compared statistically and a high degree of accuracy obtained.

  • Third, experiments must be designed to avoid bias. A researcher must strive to prevent personal opinion about a hypothesis from influencing how tests are made and must also be award of the bias that any technique or instrument may introduce in the outcome of an experiment.

Performing the experiment:

  • Researchers are meticulous notetakers. They make detailed notes in a record book that becomes a scientific diary of the research project in process. Data, or results, accumulate as tests outlined in the experimental design are completed. There are two types of data:
    • anecdotal data - relate in words what happens in an experiment, recording chance observations as well as describing mistakes and unexpected events.
    • numerical data - consists of measurements determined by a person or instrument.
  • Collecting data is a time-consuming, tedious process, and patience is an essential ingredient in science. As results accumulate, the researcher tries to find patterns or relationships in the data.
  • Intrepreting data by asking critical questions is essential to determining the cause and effect of experimental observations. When the results of repeated tests are consistent and patterns become discernible, the next stage of the process is reporting the results.

Reporting experimental results:

 

Test your knowledgelink to an Internet Websiteof the scientific method.
 

Use logic to solve these problems:

Problem #1 - Six girls were running a race. When the winner crossed the finish line, the following conditions existed List the order in which the girls were running when the winner crossed the finish line.

Problem #2 - Two students, a boy and a girl, are sitting on a bench. "I'm a girl", said the one with blond hair. "I'm a boy", said the one with black hair.

At least one of these students is lying. Which student has blond hair and which has black?

Problem #3 - A ship in a harbor has a rope ladder, with rungs three decimeters apart, hanging over the side. The bottom rung is resting on the surface of the water. An incoming tide is rising at a rate of 20 centimeters an hour.

At the rate of the incoming tide, how long will it take the first four rungs of the ladder to be covered with water?

Research Links:
Physical Science Week 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logic Problem #1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logic Problem #2

The girl has black hair and the boy has blond hair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Logic Problem #3

The rungs of the ladder will never be covered. The ship rises with the water.