natsci

I. Observing-

When you make observations about the world around you, they fall into two categories,
            Quantitative Observations, which generally involve numbers or reading some sort of scientific instrument, and
                    often involve counting or measuring something.
            Qualitative Observations, which includes pretty much everything else, including things that are a matter of opinion.
                    Inferences are like observations. An inference is a conclusion that you draw based upon what information you can gather. It's                     most likely true, but may not be.

II. Asking Scientific Questions
Scientific questions are different from just any old question because they can be answered by gathering data or collecting information.
Sometimes asking just one question, and finding an answer, can put you on the road to understanding more about this world and the way
it works. Scientists tend to ask a lot of questions. Don't be afraid of asking questions people...that's why we're here.

III. Developing Hypotheses
A hypothesis is an idea that can be tested by an experiment-These ideas are based upon a person’s observations and previous knowledge or experience.
A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a set of observations or an answer to a scientific question.
A hypothesis could also be called an "educated guess".
Another way of thinking about it, is that a hypothesis is a possible answer to the question you've asked.

IV. Testing the Hypothesis
Once you’ve done research and formed a hypothesis, you’re ready to design and carry out an investigation to find the answer to your question.

         Designing Experiments:
                   An experiment is a set of steps you follow to test a hypothesis.

                   In order for the results to be meaningful, the experiment must be carefully designed.

                          Identifying Variables:
                                   Variables are factors that can affect the result of an experiment.

                                    Before you begin any experiment, you must identify variables that can affect your results.

                                    Then, YOU must decide which variable you want to change.
                                            THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE (Also called the Manipulated Variable)-This is the one thing that
                                                you're going to change. A valid experiment or test can only have ONE independent variable. If you
                                                change MORE than one thing in a test, you wouldn't be able to tell WHICH variable affected your
                                                results.

                                    Then, YOU must decide which variable you expect to change because of what you did.
                                            THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE (Also called the Responding Variable)-This is the thing that you expect
                                                to change based on what you did. This is the result of changing the Independent Variable.

                                    Finally, YOU must identify all the other variables that might affect the outcome, and make sure that they DON'T change.
                                            These are called the CONTROL VARIABLES (Sometimes just called "the Controls")

        Imagine that you are a tomato farmer, you wonder if by changing some of your farming techniques, you might increase your yield of tomatoes. You decide that adding fertilizer might be a simple way to increase the yield of your garden. The fertilizer becomes your Independent Variable. It's the one thing you're going to do differently, add fertilizer to the water every other day. In this experiment, the Dependent Variable would be the growth of the tomatoes. In this example, we'll weigh the total amount of tomatoes the plants that are fertilized produce over the season. Now you need to brainstorm all the other factors that might affect tomato growth and be sure that these are the same for all the plants. These are your control variables. In this experiment, you'll want to have all plants be the same variety of tomato, all plants receive the same amount of sunlight, all plants are in the same size pots, all plants receive the same amount of water, all plants are in the same area of your garden. The ONLY thing different, is some plants are receiving the fertilizer treatment. At the end of the season, you can compare how many pounds of tomatoes each plant produced. If the fertilized plants produce more tomatoes, it would be fair to conclude that adding fertilizer will increase the yield of a tomato plant.

V. Gathering Data/Recording Data

DATA is INFORMATION.
Data might include NUMBERS, MEASUREMENTS or OBSERVATIONS.
DATA are FACTS.
The word DATA rhymes with "BAIT", not "BAT". Scientists who pronounce "DATA' correctly sound cool and sophisticated. People who pronounce it incorrectly just sound awkward, and a little sad.

Record your data is a sensible, orderly way using:
                    Diary-like entries ( good for recording general observations.)
                    Charts, Tables, Graphs
                    Organized DATA is happy DATA.

VI. Analyzing and Concluding
This can be the toughest part. You've got to figure out what your results mean.
What does your data tell you? Can you see any answers to your questions?

VII. Communicating Results

This might be the most important part. You've got to let others know what you did, and what you learned. It's important to be clear and not to leave out any details. You might have come up with MORE questions that need an answer, and you 'd report this information as well. Sometimes, one experiment can lead to many, many future experiments. One question can lead to many others. It's the way things work!

LAB REPORTS: are a written summary of how you did your work and the results you obtained.
A lab report is Science's version of a Book Report.
It's an organized and clear way to report the important facts
about your observations, hypothesis, experiment and the results.
Scientists all over the world use this same format.
It's simple, but it makes sense.