The Scientific Method: Steps and Examples

00:09:38
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xxm_beTs2LU

Resumo

TLDRThe video explains the scientific method, detailing its steps using popping boba as an example. It begins with formulating a specific question and highlights the importance of background research in shaping testable hypotheses. The hypothesis is followed by designing an experiment, identifying variables, and executing a procedure to collect data. Analysis and communication of results are essential final steps, and the video encourages revising questions and hypotheses as necessary. It provides insight into effectively conducting scientific inquiries and problem-solving.

Conclusões

  • 🔍 Science begins with curiosity and observation.
  • 📝 The scientific method involves several systematic steps.
  • ❓ Formulating a testable question is crucial.
  • 📚 Background research informs your experiment.
  • 🤔 A hypothesis predicts an outcome based on research.
  • ⚗️ Identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables.
  • 🔄 Repetition of experiments ensures reliable results.
  • 📊 Analyzing data involves calculations and graphs.
  • 📣 Communicating results helps share findings.
  • 🌐 Resources like Science Buddies support scientific exploration.

Linha do tempo

  • 00:00:00 - 00:09:38

    The video introduces the scientific method, outlining its steps: formulating a testable question, conducting background research, forming a hypothesis, performing experiments, analyzing data, and communicating results. The example of popping boba is used to illustrate these steps. The first step involves creating a specific, testable question rather than a broad one. Step two focuses on researching the topic to gather insights and refine the question as necessary. In step three, a hypothesis is constructed through educated guesses based on the background research, typically framed as 'if... then...'. The importance of understanding independent, dependent, and controlled variables is emphasized for effective experimentation, leading to an experimental procedure that guides data collection. Finally, evaluating the results and sharing findings are crucial to advancing scientific knowledge.

Mapa mental

Vídeo de perguntas e respostas

  • What is the scientific method?

    The scientific method is a systematic framework for experimentation to find answers to questions, involving steps such as questioning, researching, hypothesizing, experimenting, analyzing data, and communicating results.

  • Why is it important for a scientific question to be testable?

    A scientific question must be testable so that it can be investigated through experiments to obtain measurable results.

  • What is a hypothesis?

    A hypothesis is an educated guess based on background research that provides a prediction which can be tested.

  • What are the variables in an experiment?

    Variables include independent variables (changed), dependent variables (measured), and controlled variables (kept constant) during an experiment.

  • Why should experiments be repeated?

    Experiments should be repeated to ensure the results are reproducible and reliable, reducing the likelihood of random results.

  • How are data analyzed in an experiment?

    Data is analyzed through calculations, creating graphs, and evaluating the quality and completeness of the collected data.

  • What should be included when communicating scientific results?

    Results should be communicated clearly, often through written reports, presentations, or other formats that share findings with others.

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  • 00:00:00
    science often starts when we observe
  • 00:00:02
    something and it makes us wonder
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    one way to explore the questions we have
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    is to use the scientific method
  • 00:00:10
    the scientific method creates a
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    framework for logically and
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    systematically experimenting in order to
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    find answers
  • 00:00:18
    it has several steps including forming a
  • 00:00:20
    question
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    researching background information
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    making a hypothesis
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    doing an experiment
  • 00:00:28
    analyzing data and communicating the
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    results
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    in this video we will look at each step
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    of the scientific method in more detail
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    using the science of popping boba
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    juice-filled balls that pop in your
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    mouth
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    as an example formulating the question
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    we want to answer is the first step of
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    the scientific method
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    a scientific question usually starts
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    with who
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    what
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    when
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    where
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    why or how the most important thing
  • 00:00:59
    about your question is that it must be
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    testable
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    this means it needs to be something that
  • 00:01:05
    you can do an experiment to figure out
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    so while you might be tempted to ask a
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    general question like how is popping
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    boba made this isn't a good scientific
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    question to answer that question
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    all you need is a recipe
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    instead choose a more specific question
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    like what kinds of liquids can be turned
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    into popping boba or
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    what determines the size and shape of
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    popping boba with these more specific
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    questions we could experiment by testing
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    different liquids or by changing the
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    process by which we make popping boba
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    sometimes you can wonder about something
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    but not know enough about the topic to
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    make a question that is specific and
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    testable
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    that's okay
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    if that happens you can start with a
  • 00:01:51
    general question go on to step two and
  • 00:01:54
    then come back and refine your question
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    to make it testable once you know more
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    about the topic
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    step two is doing background research
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    in this step we want to find out as much
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    as possible about our research topic and
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    learn from the experiences of others
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    when doing background research we can
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    find information in many different
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    places
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    we can use books in the library search
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    the internet or ask an expert or
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    specialist questions about the subject
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    we are exploring
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    learning more about the subject helps us
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    to find the best way to do things gives
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    us clues about what data we need to
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    collect or explains how to set up our
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    experiment
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    in our popping boba example we could
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    research different popping boba recipes
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    to find out what ingredients are
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    necessary to turn juice into juice balls
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    we might also want to find out what the
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    purpose of each ingredient is
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    what equipment is used
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    and what factors affect the ability of a
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    liquid to successfully become hopping
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    boba
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    all this information will be helpful for
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    the next steps of the scientific method
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    with the information we have gathered we
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    can move on to step number three which
  • 00:03:08
    is constructing a hypothesis
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    a hypothesis is an educated guess based
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    on background research about the answer
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    to our question a hypothesis always
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    includes a prediction that is easy to
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    test and measure
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    it's common for the prediction to take
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    the form of if i do this then
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    this will happen
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    for example based on the background
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    research we did for our popping boba
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    project we learned that sodium alginate
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    a key ingredient in some popping boba
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    recipes only thickens in environments
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    that are not too acidic
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    thinking about how this might affect our
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    popping boba we might come up with a
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    hypothesis that says
  • 00:03:50
    if i use liquids that are very acidic
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    then the popping boba shape will be less
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    spherical
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    once we have made our hypothesis we will
  • 00:04:00
    test it by designing and carrying out an
  • 00:04:03
    experiment
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    to do this we first need to identify the
  • 00:04:07
    variables of the experiment there are
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    usually three different kinds of
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    variables the independent variable is
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    the one and only variable that is
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    changed during the experiment
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    in our popping boba experiment the
  • 00:04:21
    acidity or ph of a liquid would be a
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    good independent variable that we could
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    change to investigate how acidity
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    affects the shape of the popping boba
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    the dependent variable is the one that
  • 00:04:33
    is measured during the experiment to
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    determine the effects of the changes we
  • 00:04:38
    are making
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    in our popping boba experiment we want
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    to know if the shape of the popping boba
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    changes
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    since good popping boba is considered to
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    be spherical or ball like in shape we
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    could measure the longest and shortest
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    dimension or the diameter and height of
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    the popping boba we make it is okay to
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    have more than one dependent variable
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    controlled variables are all the other
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    conditions in the experiment that we
  • 00:05:04
    want to keep the same
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    in our popping boba experiment the
  • 00:05:08
    reaction temperature or quantities of
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    each ingredient are some examples of
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    controlled variables by keeping all the
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    controlled variables the same we know
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    that any changes in the height or
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    diameter of the boba are due to the
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    acidity of our juice instead of one of
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    these factors
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    determining the variables of our
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    experiment helps us to come up with an
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    experimental procedure or step-by-step
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    instructions that will allow us to
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    collect the data we need to test our
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    hypothesis
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    a simplified experimental procedure for
  • 00:05:41
    our popping boba experiment could look
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    like this
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    choose a liquid or food you want to test
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    then follow a step-by-step recipe to
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    make several popping boba balls
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    measure the diameter and the height of
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    each ball using graph paper
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    and finally redo the experiment but
  • 00:06:01
    change the acidity of the food mixture
  • 00:06:04
    an important aspect of a scientific
  • 00:06:06
    experiment is to repeat the experiment
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    for each testing condition several times
  • 00:06:11
    to make sure that the results are
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    reproducible and not random
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    make sure to carefully record everything
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    you do
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    measure and observe in a lab notebook so
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    that you have a clear record of your
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    experiment
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    taking videos pictures or making
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    drawings is also a good idea
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    when doing our experiment we need to
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    actively ask is the procedure working as
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    we collect our data if the experiment is
  • 00:06:37
    not working we will need to troubleshoot
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    the procedure and restart the experiment
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    for example we might find that it is
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    really difficult to produce a single
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    drop of food mixture using a syringe
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    this means that we have to rethink our
  • 00:06:51
    procedure and then redo the experiment
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    for example instead of using a syringe
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    we might try using a medical dropper
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    the goal of conducting the experiment is
  • 00:07:02
    to collect enough data to confidently
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    determine if our hypothesis is supported
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    or not
  • 00:07:09
    the next step after we finish our
  • 00:07:11
    procedure and have collected our data is
  • 00:07:13
    to review and analyze our data analyzing
  • 00:07:16
    the data means looking at it in as many
  • 00:07:18
    ways as we can
  • 00:07:20
    this includes things like calculating an
  • 00:07:23
    average for the different trials of our
  • 00:07:24
    experiment
  • 00:07:26
    making graphs and evaluating whether or
  • 00:07:28
    not the collected data is complete of
  • 00:07:31
    good enough quality and is valid
  • 00:07:33
    for our popping boba experiment we could
  • 00:07:36
    make graphs that show how the diameter
  • 00:07:38
    or height of our popping boba balls
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    change with juice acidity
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    in graphs like these we usually place
  • 00:07:44
    the independent variable on the x-axis
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    and the dependent variable on the y-axis
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    it is important to label your graphs and
  • 00:07:52
    results clearly and include their
  • 00:07:54
    measurement units
  • 00:07:56
    if our data is sufficient we can then
  • 00:07:58
    draw conclusions about whether or not
  • 00:08:01
    our data supports our hypothesis it is
  • 00:08:04
    okay if our hypothesis is not supported
  • 00:08:06
    this happens often to scientists
  • 00:08:09
    sometimes the data leads to more
  • 00:08:11
    questions and the process starts again
  • 00:08:13
    with a slightly different question and a
  • 00:08:15
    new hypothesis
  • 00:08:17
    the final step of the scientific method
  • 00:08:19
    is communicating our results
  • 00:08:21
    this means communicating all of our data
  • 00:08:24
    and findings in a written report
  • 00:08:26
    oral presentation or in some other way
  • 00:08:29
    so that anybody who is interested in
  • 00:08:31
    making popping boba balls can use our
  • 00:08:34
    information to optimize their size shape
  • 00:08:37
    and deliciousness
  • 00:08:38
    now that you know how the scientific
  • 00:08:40
    method works
  • 00:08:41
    you are ready for your next science
  • 00:08:43
    adventure
  • 00:08:44
    remember though that questions in some
  • 00:08:46
    areas of science can be more easily
  • 00:08:48
    tested than others
  • 00:08:50
    don't be afraid to modify steps of the
  • 00:08:53
    scientific method for example if direct
  • 00:08:56
    experimentation is not possible to test
  • 00:08:58
    your hypothesis you could use a
  • 00:09:00
    simulation or mathematical model instead
  • 00:09:03
    just keep in mind that the goal of your
  • 00:09:05
    investigation should be to discover
  • 00:09:07
    cause and effect relationships by asking
  • 00:09:10
    questions
  • 00:09:11
    carefully gathering and examining the
  • 00:09:13
    evidence
  • 00:09:14
    and seeing if all the available
  • 00:09:16
    information can be combined into a
  • 00:09:18
    logical answer
  • 00:09:20
    if you want to practice the scientific
  • 00:09:22
    method or need more information
  • 00:09:24
    visit us at www.sciencebuddies.org
  • 00:09:28
    where you can find thousands of free
  • 00:09:30
    hands-on science and engineering
  • 00:09:32
    projects
  • 00:09:38
    you
Etiquetas
  • Scientific Method
  • Popping Boba
  • Hypothesis
  • Experiment
  • Data Analysis
  • Variables
  • Scientific Inquiry
  • Research
  • Communication