The Scientific Method

List as many steps as you can of the scientific method.

Which of the statements in number 1 are observations?

How are the observation statements different from the other statements?

Observation – using your senses to gather information

Two TypesQualitative: involves

characteristics/descriptions of the observation (color and texture)

Quantitative: involves numbers (usually used to make graphs) = Data

Observation Statements

1. The cabinets are brown.2. It is sunny outside.3. There are ___ girls and ___ boys in the room.4. Some of the windows are open

Which observations from #1 are Qualitative? Quantitative?

Inferencelogical

interpretation based on

knowledge and

experience

Let’s list some observations about the pic below…

Now make some inferences about the picture.

O/I StatementsRead the 14 statements and write O or

I on the line.

Hint:Feelings and emotions are on the inside. You

can not see what is on the inside without further investigation!

False Assumptions

Story #1There is a cabin on the side of a

mountain. Three people are inside and they are dead. How did they die?

Answer: They were killed in a plane crash. The three people were the pilot, co-pilot and navigator. They

crashed in a snow storm.

False Assumption: The cabin was a mountain cabin. It was actually the cabin of a jetliner.

Story #2It is a hot August afternoon. The location is the living

room in an old Victorian mansion. The 7-foot window is open and the curtains are blowing in the breeze

generated by the thunderstorm that just passed. On the floor lie the bodies of Barack and Michelle. They are surrounded by puddles of water and broken glass. Please close your eyes and picture the scene. Now

change the picture. Neither Barack nor Michelle has any clothing on. How did they die?

Answer: They suffocated. The storm winds blew open the window, which knocked their fish bowl off the table, and it

crashed to the floor.

False Assumption: That Barack and Michelle are human. They are actually pet goldfish.

Story #3A man is walking down the street, sees a bar and enters. He asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a

gun and points it at him. The man says “Thank You” and leaves the bar. What

happened?Answer: The man who asked for the glass of water had the

hiccups. The bartender pulled the gun to scare the hiccups away.

False Assumption: The bartender pulled the gun in order to kill the man.

Story #4

A woman leaves home and makes three left turns. She returns home again. On the

way, she passed two women with masks. Who were the two women?

Answer: The umpire and the catcher.

False Assumption: That the woman was walking oncity streets. She really is on a baseball field.

Story #5A man and his son were rock climbing on a particularly dangerous mountain when they

slipped and fell. The man was killed, but the son lived and was rushed to a hospital. The old

surgeon looked at the young man and declared, "I can't operate on this boy: he is my son.“ How

can this be?

Answer: The old surgeon was the boy‘s mother

False Assumption: That the surgeon was a man.

Story #6

Preston and his men searched the frozen tundra for escaped convict Ben Barker. Just as they were about to

give up, one of Preston's men spotted a body. Barker was found lying dead in the snow. There were no tracks

leading to or from the body. The cause of death was partially due to the unopened pack on his back. Barker

did not die of thirst, hunger, or cold. What was in Barker's pack that led to his death?

Answer: An unopened parachute.

False Assumption: That Barker’s “pack” was a backpack, not a parachute pack. Also, he had arrived there somehow

by land, not by air.

Story #7

Two train tracks run parallel to each other, except for a short distance where they meet and become one track over a narrow bridge. One morning, a train speeds onto

the bridge. Another train coming from the opposite direction, also speeds onto the bridge. Neither train can stop on the short bridge, yet there is no collision. How is

this possible?Answer: The trains were crossing the

bridge at different times of the morning.

False Assumption: Sounds like the twotrains had arrived there at the same time; it

was just the same morning.

Story #8Justin Summers owns a vacation house in northern

Ontario which has an A-shaped roof. One side of the roof faces north and the other side faces south. The

prevailing winds from the north are usually quite strong. The strange thing is that the stronger the north wind blows, the stronger the resulting updraft on the south

side of the roof. Therefore, if a rooster was to lay an egg on the peak of the roof during a strong northerly wind, on

which side should the egg fall most of the time?

Answer: Roosters don't lay eggs.

False Assumption: That the rooster, being a chicken, was a hen.

Story #9

There is an ancient invention still used in some parts of the world today that allows people to see through walls. What is it?

Answer: Windows.

False Assumption: The walls are totally solid and opaque.The walls are not part of a house. Somehow, windows weren’t “invented”. Windows aren’t that ancient. “Some

parts of the world” means only a few places, not commonly found.

Story #10Sly Hand, the famous magician, claims he can tell

the score of any football game before it even starts. Many think he is psychic and possesses supernatural powers. How is it that he can be

accurate about the score 99 percent of the time?

Answer: There really is no magic. The score of any football game before it starts is always “zero to zero”.

False Assumption: That the “score” was the final score. Also, we don’t assume any score exists before the game

begins.

Goal # 6

The Scientific Method

Observation

State Problem

Hypothesis

Experiment

Results

Conclusion

B. Scientific law = statement that determines what always happens without being tested or explained1. based solely on

observations2. falsifiable3. example: gravity, Newton’s Laws of Motion

VIII. Theory vs LawA. Theory = well-supported tested hypothesis

1. NOT an Everyday definition used as an opinion or idea2. Not absolute truth

- can be revised based on new evidence found

Wednesday August 25th

• Sequence the steps of the scientific method.

• Differentiate between a scientific theory and a scientific law.

Make these changes on your schedule!

W8/31

Goal #7: Controlled Experiments and DataB#3: Simulation Exercises C#7: Science Articles

P /2

R9/1

Goal #8: DataC#8: Science Articles and Data Interpretation

/2/5 /2

Goal #7Controlled Experiments

I. Experiments

A. Good:ControlledOnly one variable is different between groups

B. Bad:Non-controlledMore than one variable is different between groups

II. Experimental Groups

A. Controlled Group– The group that

does not receive the treatment

B. Experimental Group– The group that

receives the treatment

Mr. Krabbs wants to make Bikini Bottoms a nicer place to live. He has created a new sauce that he thinks will reduce the production of body gas associated with eating crabby patties from the Krusty Krab. He recruits 100 customers with a history of gas problems. 50 of them eat crabbies with the new sauce. The other 50 eat crabby patties with a mixture of mayonnaise and food coloring which looks like the new sauce. They were also told this sauce was the new sauce, which is said to reduce gas production. Two hours later, 30 customers in group A (new sauce) had fewer gas problems and 8 customers in group B (fake new sauce) had fewer gas problems.

– Control Group?– Experimental Group?– Conclusion?

III. VariablesA. Manipulated

Variable– The one condition

that is different between the groups

B. Controlled Variable– All the conditions

that are the same between the groups

Sponge Bob notices that his friend Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the shell develops a nasty slime and gives off a horrible odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. Sponge Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp. After a week of treatment, the slime is gone and Gary’s shell smells better.

– Controlled Variable– Manipulated Variable

D. Dependent Variable– The

condition that is changed

– Changes in response to the independent variable

C. Independent Variable– The factor

that is being tested

– Also called manipulated variable

Francesco Redi’s Spontaneous Generation

Experiment

Smithers thinks a special juice will increase the productivity of workers. He creates two groups of 50 workers each and assigns each group the same task of stapling papers. Group A is given the special juice to drink while they work. Group B is not given the special juice. After an hour, Smithers counts how many stacks of papers each group has made. Group A made 1,587 stacks. Group B made 2,113 stacks.

– Control Group?– Independent Variable?– Dependent Variable?– Conclusion?

How could this experiment be improved?

Krusty was told that a certain itching powder was the newest, best thing on the market. It even claims to cause 50% longer lasting itches. Interested in this product, he buys the itching powder and compares it to his usual product. One test subject (A) is sprinkled with the original itching powder and another test subject (B) was sprinkled with the Experimental itching powder. Subject A reported having itches for 30 minutes. Subject B reported having itches for 45 minutes.

– Control Group?– Independent Variable?– Dependent Variable?– Explain whether the data supports the claims.

Goal #8Data and Graphing

A. Setting up axes• Step 1: Draw edges of graph• Step 2- Label the x and y axis

– If time is one of your categories, it ALWAYS goes on the x-axis!!!

• Step 3- Write “0” in the corner where the x and y axis meet

• Step 4- Choose a number interval each line will represent on each axis

(NEXT STEPS SPECIFIC TO GRAPH TYPE!)• Last step: give graph a descriptive

title

1.Line Graphs

• Step 5 –Plot your data points

• Step 6- Connect the data points

• Most commonly used in science

Line Graph Example

Data Table: GraphTime Water

absorbed by roots (g/h)

8am 2

10am 5

12pm 12

2pm 17

4pm 16

6pm 10

8pm 3

2. Bar Graphs• Step 7 – Create bars

Bar Graph ExampleData Table: Graph

Favorite Animal

Number of People

Monkey

Penguin

Elephant

Giraffe

Snake