The Process of Science

Designing an Investigation

The Process of Science

• Remember, there’s no such thing as THE scientific method…it’s more like “scientific methods” or “the scientific process”–The process of searching for answers to

questions about the natural world doesn’t always follow a set of step-by-step procedures/rules.

Choosing a Topic

• Choose a topic to investigate.–Make sure it is interesting to you.–Make sure you have the resources (tools, ability, time) to

investigate it.–Make sure there is an adequate research base available to

you.–Make sure there are answerable questions that are relevant

to your topic.• So…our topic of investigation is…

Soda & Mentos Reaction

Research Question

• Refine your topic into a testable question.–A testable question is one that can be answered with

data you gather.• One or more variables can be identified and tested to see

the impact of that variable on the original set of conditions.

–Your question should also be relevant (have meaning).

Soda and Mentos Research Question• Brainstorm some testable questions for our soda

and Mentos investigation.–Begin by making a list of independent and dependent

variables that we might choose (in other words, things that may have an effect on the reaction):

INDEPENDENT• Brand/Type of Soda• Number of Mentos• Temperature of Soda/Mentos

DEPENDENT• Height of Spray• Duration (Time) of Spray

Researching Your Topic• Search for information relevant to your topic to generate

possible answers.–Try to consider every reasonable alternative–Use your research to narrow down your possibilities• Hypothesis vs. Prediction–A hypothesis is a testable explanation of the phenomenon.»Ex) If (insert hypothesis) is true, then (insert outcome) will

be observed.–A prediction is a “guess” about which outcome will be

observed.

Soda and Mentos Research• Have others already attempted to answer this question?• What information might be helpful to answer this question?–What causes the reaction?–What ingredients are present?–How will the environment affect the reaction?

• Where can we get this information?–Mythbusters episode– Internet research

Planning Your Investigation• Plan out a timetable for your investigation. Make yourself

deadlines and stick to them!• Design your investigation.–What type of investigation?–What data will you need?• How/What will you measure/observe?• How will the data help you answer the question?

–How will you control variables (if necessary)?–What materials will you need?

Soda and Mentos Investigation

• What type of investigation?• What data will we need?–How/What will we measure/observe?–How will the data help us answer the question?

• How will we control variables?• What materials will we need?

Analysis

• How can we learn from the investigation?• What can we learn from the investigation?• Think of ways to report your data.–What data is important? How can you highlight

that importance?–What relationships exist? How can you show them?

Soda and Mentos Analysis

• What data is important?–How can we highlight its importance?

• What relationships exist?–What can we compare?–Does the data show relationships between the

variables?•How can we show them?

Conclusions

• What conclusions can be supported by the data?–DATA consists of the measurements/observations

you recorded during your investigation.–When data is used to support a claim, it becomes

EVIDENCE.• Evidence should be able to be JUSTIFIED with relevant

scientific concepts

Soda and Mentos Conclusions

• What conclusions can be supported by our data?–What data do we have to draw from?–How does that data support our conclusion?–Why are we able to use that data to support our

conclusion? How can we use scientific concepts to explain the relationships?