The Scientific Method

1. The Scientific Method In Review

2. 1. Ask a question - based on your observations of the world around you Why are so many bees bothering Julie????

3. 2. Form a hypothesis – possible explanation for what you observed - look at all the available information Julie is wearing a sweet-smelling perfume. Christine is wearing a very lightly scented perfume. Megan did not wear perfume today.

4. Hypothesis: Julie’s sweet-smelling perfume is attracting the bees to her. Prediction: If a person wears a sweet-smelling perfume, then bees will be attracted to that person.

5. 3. Test the hypothesis – Design a controlled experiment to test your hypothesis - experimental group(s) – contain a variable (what is being tested) - control group – does not contain a variable, is used to compare to the experimental group(s)

6. Testing your hypothesis: Define: • Manipulated (Independent) variable - variable that causes a change in another • Responding (Dependent) variable -variable that changes in response to the manipulated variable • Controlled experiment - experiment where only one variable to deliberately changed at a time

7. Set up 3 dishes on a sunny deck. Observe them for 6 hrs in the middle of the day. Experimental group 1 – contains Julie’s sweet-smelling perfume Experimental group 2 – contains Christine’s lightly scented perfume Control group – contains no perfume Collect data (what do you see)

8. 4. Analyze the results – organize the data so it can be analyzed Exp group 1 – 24 bees came – spent an average of 8 minutes circling the dish Exp group 2 – 6 bees came – spent an average of 4.3 minutes circling the dish Control group – 2 bees came – spent an average of 0.8 minutes circling the dish

9. 5. Draw a conclusion – based on the experiment you performed Bees are attracted to Julie’s sweet-smelling perfume.

10. 6. Communicate Results – do something with the knowledge you gained Advise Julie not to wear her sweet-smelling perfume during bee season.

11. Scientific investigations: • Do not always proceed from one step to the next. • Sometimes steps can be skipped. • Sometimes they must be repeated (experiments are often repeated).

12. Make observation Develop theory

14. Scientific Theory a well tested explanation for a set of observations or experimental results A theory is never proven.

15. Scientific Law: a statement that summarizes a pattern found in nature does not attempt to explain it the explanation is provided by a scientific theory

16. Scientific Model Makes things easier to understand A representation of an object or event

17. The Living End…