when we are talking about scientific...
Transcript of when we are talking about scientific...
Each step of scientific inquiry corresponds to one letter in the “word”. These letters represent the first letter of each
word involved in scientific inquiry!!
I’ve created a sentence that will help you memorize these steps. Here are two clues to help you!!
Working like a scientist is easy! All you have to do is memorize this “word”…
Scientists usually begin an investigation with a question about
something that is unexplained.
Ex: Does the shape of ice affect how quickly the ice
melts? ?
After they pose this question, scientists make
and
Inferences are interpretations (or
assumptions) based on observations and prior
knowledge.
Ex: The ice is clear so it was made from water.
Observations involve using one or more of your
senses to gather information.
Ex: color of the ice, surface texture of ice,
volume of the ice
?#3 ?#6
A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a set of observations or an answer to a scientific question. It must be something that can be tested. After a hypothesis is tested once, it must be tested several other times to make sure the results are consistent. Sometimes a hypothesis is stated as “I think…” or “If…then…” We will most often use just a statement that answers the question.
The shape of ice has no
effect on the speed of melting.
Ex:
?
Variables – all the factors that could affect the outcome of an experiment
Manipulated variable – the factor that scientists change (Ex: shape of ice)
Controlled experiment – one in which there is only one manipulated variable and all other variables are kept constant
?#2
?#5
Data – facts, figures and other evidence collected in an experiment. Data come in the forms of descriptions or measurements.
While conducting an experiment, scientists collect
Once all the data have been collected, scientists need to interpret, or find the meaning of, these data.
Interpreting data involves looking for patterns or trends. Data can be displayed in:
Ex:
earth
moon orbit̀ s
earth
last (third)quarter
gibbous moon
full moon
gibbous moon
first quarter
crescent
new moon
crescent
waning Moon
waxing Moon
SUN
diagrams, tables or graphs.
?
Sometimes the data will support the hypothesis.
After all data are interpreted, scientists are ready to draw a conclusion.
Usually any findings will lead to a new question and a new experiment!!
Sometimes it will show the hypothesis is incorrect and that’s OK. Eliminating a hypothesis is as important as proving it.
Sometimes no conclusion can be reached. This means that scientists need to design more experiments to gather more data.
The conclusion should be written in paragraph form and must include the following:
-Explain the problem (Don’t just restate it.) -Restate the hypothesis
-State if the hypothesis was correct or not correct
-Explain how you conducted the experiment including a summary of the data
-Predict the next question that could be tested
A ___ is one in which there
is only one manipulated
variable and all others are
constant.
Controlled experiment
Variable
Manipulated variable
___ are interpretations or
assumptions based on
observations and prior
knowledge.
Observations
Questions
Inferences
On the next slide, identify
each statement as one of
the steps of Scientific
Inquiry.
Click HERE to see
example of
homework!
_____Does the shape of an ice cube affect how quickly it melts?
_____ Freeze the same amount of water into two different shapes. Place each block
of ice on identical surfaces and expose them to identical sources of heat for the same
amount of time. Observe, measure and record the amount of liquid in the container
every five minutes.
_____The ice is white, so it must be made of pure water.
_____I think the shape of an object (ice) has no effect on the speed of melting.
_____In my experiment I was testing to determine if the shape of ice affects the melting
speed of the ice. I hypothesized that the shape would not affect the speed of melting. The
experiment was conducted 5 times. The long rectangular shaped ice melted an average of 4
minutes before the square block. This data does not support my hypothesis. I will continue
this experiment with larger volumes of ice in the same shapes.
Shape
of ice
mL/1
minute
mL/2
minutes
mL/3
minutes
mL/4
minutes
square
3 mL
9 mL
18 mL
20 mL
rectang
ular
5 mL
10 mL
20 mL
25 mL
____
Answer!
Use these letters: Q E O/I H C D
_____Does the shape of an ice cube affect how quickly it melts?
_____ Freeze the same amount of water into two different shapes. Place each block
of ice on identical surfaces and expose them to identical sources of heat for the same
amount of time. Observe, measure and record the amount of liquid in the container
every five minutes.
_____The ice is white, so it must be made of pure water.
_____The shape of an object (ice) has no effect on the speed of melting.
_____In my experiment I was testing to determine if the shape of ice affects the melting
speed of the ice. I hypothesized that the shape would not affect the speed of melting. The
experiment was conducted 5 times. The long rectangular shaped ice melted an average of 4
minutes before the square block. This data does not support my hypothesis. I will continue
this experiment with larger volumes of ice in the same shapes.
Shape
of ice
mL/1
minute
mL/2
minutes
mL/3
minutes
mL/4
minutes
square
3 mL
9 mL
18 mL
20 mL
rectang
ular
5 mL
10 mL 20 mL
25 mL
____
Q
E
O/I H
C
D
End!