Search results
People also ask
What are the 5 steps of a scientific method?
How do I learn the scientific method?
Which sentence describes a step of the scientific method?
How do students use the scientific method?
A. Recognize a problem. B. Form a hypothesis. C. Test the hypothesis with an experiment. D. Draw conclusions. Practice - Answer Key. Each sentence below describes a step of the Scientific Method. Match each sentence to the correct step of the Scientific Method. Check your answers on the next slide. 1.
- 367KB
- 8
What are the steps of the scientific method? The scientific method steps can vary by name, but the process as a whole is the same across grade levels. There are as many as seven steps, but sometimes they are combined. Below are six steps that make the process accessible to younger learners. 1. Question
- Overview
- Introduction
- The scientific method
- Scientific method example: Failure to toast
- 1. Make an observation.
- 3. Propose a hypothesis.
- 4. Make predictions.
- 5. Test the predictions.
- 6. Iterate.
How the scientific method is used to test a hypothesis.
1.Make an observation.
2.Ask a question.
3.Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
4.Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
5.Test the prediction.
A biology investigation usually starts with an observation—that is, something that catches the biologist’s attention. For instance, a cancer biologist might notice that a certain kind of cancer can't be treated with chemotherapy and wonder why this is the case. A marine ecologist, seeing that the coral reefs of her field sites are bleaching—turning white—might set out to understand why.
How do biologists follow up on these observations? How can you follow up on your own observations of the natural world? In this article, we’ll walk through the scientific method, a logical problem-solving approach used by biologists and many other scientists.
At the core of biology and other sciences lies a problem-solving approach called the scientific method. The scientific method has five basic steps, plus one feedback step:
1.Make an observation.
2.Ask a question.
3.Form a hypothesis, or testable explanation.
4.Make a prediction based on the hypothesis.
5.Test the prediction.
Let's build some intuition for the scientific method by applying its steps to a practical problem from everyday life.
Let's suppose that you get two slices of bread, put them into the toaster, and press the button. However, your bread does not toast.
A hypothesis is a potential answer to the question, one that can somehow be tested. For example, our hypothesis in this case could be that the toast didn't toast because the electrical outlet is broken.
This hypothesis is not necessarily the right explanation. Instead, it's a possible explanation that we can test to see if it is likely correct, or if we need to make a new hypothesis.
[Can any explanation count as a hypothesis?]
[Is a hypothesis a theory?]
A prediction is an outcome we'd expect to see if the hypothesis is correct. In this case, we might predict that if the electrical outlet is broken, then plugging the toaster into a different outlet should fix the problem.
To test the hypothesis, we need to make an observation or perform an experiment associated with the prediction. For instance, in this case, we would plug the toaster into a different outlet and see if it toasts.
•If the toaster does toast, then the hypothesis is supported—likely correct.
•If the toaster doesn't toast, then the hypothesis is not supported—likely wrong.
The results of a test may either support or contradict—oppose—a hypothesis. Results that support a hypothesis can't conclusively prove that it's correct, but they do mean it's likely to be correct. On the other hand, if results contradict a hypothesis, that hypothesis is probably not correct. Unless there was a flaw in the test—a possibility we should always consider—a contradictory result means that we can discard the hypothesis and look for a new one.
The last step of the scientific method is to reflect on our results and use them to guide our next steps.
And the result is:
Left panel: My bread toasts! Hypothesis is supported. Right panel: My bread still won't toast. Hypothesis is not supported.
•If the hypothesis was supported, we might do additional tests to confirm it, or revise it to be more specific. For instance, we might investigate why the outlet is broken.
•If the hypothesis was not supported, we would come up with a new hypothesis. For instance, the next hypothesis might be that there's a broken wire in the toaster.
In most cases, the scientific method is an iterative process. In other words, it's a cycle rather than a straight line. The result of one go-round becomes feedback that improves the next round of question asking.
The scientific method is a logical approach to understanding the world. It starts with an observation, followed by a question. A testable explanation or hypothesis is then created. An experiment is designed to test the hypothesis, and based on the results, the hypothesis is refined.
- 12 min
- Sal Khan
- The scientific method is more widely accepted because it works almost all of the time but under certain circumstances, general theories and explana...
- Good idea. You've just put it as an example to examine your own perception of Scientific method, right? Because, if you really want to do that expe...
- Good question, Rachna. Francis Bacon (yes, his name is Bacon) is given most credit for developing the Scientific Method. However, he did not do it...
- Imagine a pyramid. Mathematics sits on the base of everything and holds other Sciences since it explains the Universe itself. Physics is above and...
- Then better experiments and evidence would be required to demonstrate that.
- But to be considered as the scientific method, it has to be: controlled, to include dependent and independent variable, to start with a hypothesis,...
- In an experiment, you would adjust the independent variable and measure the effect that the adjustment has on the dependent variable. If your exper...
- In reality the scientific method is a cycle so it doesn't matter where you "start". Does that help?
- Yes, if you heat it hot enough. (And mercury is already liquid at room temperature)
- Yep! One of the most recent discoveries was Oganesson (Og) which was discovered in 2006. One of the exciting aspects of space exploration or underw...
- Ask a Question. The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where? For a science fair project some teachers require that the question be something you can measure, preferably with a number.
- Do Background Research. Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, you want to be a savvy scientist using library and Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and ensure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.
- Construct a Hypothesis. A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It is an attempt to answer your question with an explanation that can be tested.
- Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment. Your experiment tests whether your prediction is accurate and thus your hypothesis is supported or not. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test.
1. _____ Forming a hypothesis is the first step of the scientific method. 2. _____ A scientific law is different from a scientific theory because it describes something in nature without attempting to explain it. 3. _____ In order for a hypothesis to be testable, scientists need to be able
Aug 4, 2021 · 1.2K. 311K views 2 years ago #sciencebuddies #STEM #scientificmethod. Unsure of what the steps of the scientific method are? Not sure how to apply the scientific method? Watch how we use...
- 10 min
- 315.9K
- Science Buddies
