The Scientific Method - Methodically Explained



Posted: Wednesday, November 25, 2009

by
A. L. Dash & Sons LLC

The scientific method is a way to ask and find the answer to scientific questions by making observa
tions and doing experiments. Depending on which science book you read, there are either four, five or six steps to the scientific method. (Doesn't sound very scientific, does it...) For the purpose of this post, we've decided to take the average, and explain The Five Steps of the Scientific Method: Observation, Question, Hypothesis, Experimentation, and Results. Suppose you Observe that your Nintendo DS isn't working. You'll ask yourself the Question "What's wrong with my DS!?" Then you'll come up with a couple of ideas, or Hypotheses: The battery could be dead, the game could be dirty, or maybe the baby dropped it into the toilet. So you'll Experiment - you check the battery, take out the game and blow out the dust, then check for signs of dried Cheerios and wet spots. These experiments will hopefully lead you to the Result, and you'll know why your DS wasn't working. When you put it this way, the scientific method really isn't very complicated. A science project doesn't have to be complicated, either. It's important to remember, however, that if you're doing a science project that is an experiment, you must follow the scientific method. And that's where the hard part comes in. The hardest part about doing a good project is actually finding a good project - one that requires you to Observe, Question, Hypothesize, Experiment, and find Results. Many of the science projects that you find online and in books are demonstrations. They don't follow the scientific method; they are not truly experiments at all.Be careful about which science project you choose. To get more information about science projects, head over to middle school science projects and get your project going!
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