Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Don't underestimate the role of science in your daily life. Every interaction
you participate in — with the physical world and with other people — is governed
by the natural laws discovered and described by scientists in multiple fields of
specialization. New products and technologies are the result of ongoing answer-
seeking in the sciences. And explanations of how human beings effect and are ef-
fected by the natural world are constantly being updated by new scientific discov-
eries. Keep reading to find out how science is done using a step-by-step approach
called the
scientific method.
Using a Methodical Approach: The
Scientific Method
Scientists seek to answer questions using a sequence of steps commonly called the
sci-
entific method
. The scientific method is simply a procedure for organizing observations,
making educated guesses, and collecting new information. The scientific method can be
summarized as the following steps:
1. Ask a question.
Scientists begin by asking, “Why does that happen?”or “How does
that work?” Any question can be the start of your scientific journey. For example,
“Why are my socks, that used to be white, now colored pink?”
2. Form a hypothesis that answers your question.
A
hypothesis
is a proposed answer
to your question: an educated guess based on what you already know. In science, a
hypothesis must be testable, meaning that you (or someone else) must be able to de-
termine if the hypothesis is true or false through an experiment. For example, “I think
my socks turned pink because I washed them with pink laundry soap.”
3. State a prediction based on your hypothesis that can be tested.
Using the pro-
posed explanation in your hypothesis, form a prediction that you can test. For ex-
ample, “I predict that if I wash a white T-shirt with pink laundry soap, it will turn from
white to pink.”
4. Design an experiment to test your prediction.
A good experiment is designed to
best answer your question (see the upcoming “Testing your hypothesis: Experiments”
section) by controlling as many factors as possible. For example, to test the above
prediction, I will wash one white T-shirt with white laundry soap and one white T-shirt
with pink laundry soap. I will wash them in the same washing machine with the same
type of water so that everything (except the soap) is the same.
