Scientific inquiryMr. Banks

7th and 8TH grade science

Scientific inquiry

Scientific inquiry is the

process by which scientists

study the natural world

and propose explanations

based on the evidence

they gather.

Scientific inquiry

Scientific inquiry starts with an observation about the world that leads to a question.

Scientific questions are questions that can be answered by gathering data and evidence.

Does Pepsi have more carbonation than coke?

How does air temperature effect honey production in bees?

Scientific inquiry

After posing a question,

scientists develop a

hypothesis.

A hypothesis is a possible

explanation for a set of

observations or answer to

a scientific question.

Scientific inquiry

A hypothesis is not a fact.

A hypothesis MUST be

testable.

Meaning that scientist

must be able to carry out

investigations to gather

evidence that either

supports or disproves the

hypothesis.

Scientific inquiry

Testing a hypothesis usually means conducting

multiple experiments.

Scientists do experiments to generate data that

they can use to evaluate a hypothesis.

We’ll talk about

how to design an

experiment later.

Scientific inquiry

Data is generated

and recorded

during experiments.

After being

recorded, scientists

organize and

interpret the data

to see if any deeper

meanings can be

gathered.

Scientific inquiry

Collected data is

often gathered

into tables and

graphs to make it

easier to interpret

and understand.

Scientific inquiry

After collecting and

analyzing their data,

scientists see what they

can infer from the new

data.

They use these inferences

to evaluate whether the

data supports or disproves

their hypothesis.

Scientific inquiry

After drawing

conclusions, it is

important for scientists

to share their findings.

Communicating their

results allows scientists

to build on each other’s

work, and makes sure

science moves forward.

Scientific inquiry

Usually scientist repeat their experiments

multiple times to be sure that they always get

similar results.

Scientific theories

An important concept to

understand is that

scientific hypotheses can

never be “proven”.

Once a VERY large

amount of evidence is

found to support a

hypotheses, it is then

called a theory.

Scientific theories

Scientific theories are well-

tested explanations for a

wide range of observations

or experimental results.

Theories have a large

amount of evidence to

support them and little to no

evidence that opposes

them.

Scientists consider theories

to be reliable and as close

as you can get to proving a

hypothesis.

Scientific laws

Scientific laws are

statements that describe

some aspect or behavior

of the universe scientists

expect to happen every

time under a certain

condition.

Unlike theories, laws do

NOT try to explain why

something happens, just

that it does.

Scientific inquiry

1. Make an observation

2. Ask a question

3. Create a hypothesis

4. Design an experiment

5. Gather and analyze

data

6. Draw conclusions

7. Share results

8. Repeat the

experiment?

Data

There are two types of data.

Quantitative data are observations

that can be measured or counted.

Ex. There are a certain number of

males and females in this class.

Qualitative data are observations

that are descriptions or cannot be

counted.

Ex. The softness of a cat’s fur.