Scientific Method

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Scientific Method
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Table of Content

• Key Terms
• Their corresponding definitions

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Key Terms

• Observation
• Hypothesis
• Independent Variable
• Dependent Variable
• Control Group
• Constants
• Design Diagrams
• Conclusion

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Observation

• A constant feature of scientific inquiry,
  observation includes both unconditioned
  observations (prior to any theory) as well as the
  observation of the experiment and its results.

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Hypothesis

• theoretical, hypothetical explanations of
  observations and measurements
• An educated guess

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Independent Variable

• Factor in an experiment that a scientist
  purposely changes.
• Basically it is what you are doing to test the
  experiment.

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Dependent Variable

• Factor in an experiment that a scientist want to
  observe, which may change because of the
  manipulated variable (independent variable)
• The dependent variable depends on the
  independent variable

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Control Group

• Actively and fairly sampling the range of
  possible occurrences, whenever possible and
  proper, as opposed to the passive acceptance of
  opportunistic data, is the best way to control or
  counterbalance the risk of empirical bias.
• The subjects left alone

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Constants

• Components that remain the same in an
  experimental investigation.

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Design Diagrams

• Or experimental design.
• How a scientist sets up an experiment that will
  accurately test or measure a hypothesis.

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Conclusion

• Is a summary of your findings. A good conclusion
  includes
• The purpose of the experiment
• The major findings
• Was the hypothesis supported or not?
• How do your findings compare with that of your
  peers
• How can your findings benefit mankind or society
• Recommendations for improving the experiment
• Explain what errors may have occurred and how to
  fix them