What is the Experimental Scientific Method?
You must choose a question or problem that has a hypothesis that can be tested.
Experimental science is actually the search for cause and effect relationships in nature.
A hypothesis is your best guess at what this cause and effect relationship is.
Your conclusions found by experimentation will allow you to predict the result of future cause and effect relationships.
STEPS FOR DOING AN EXPERIMENTAL SCIENCE PROJECT
- Initial Observation
- Information Gathering
- Title the Project
- State the Purpose of the Project
- Identify Variables
- Make Hypothesis
- Design Experiments to Test Your Hypothesis
- Record Your Observations
- Perform Calculations
- Each calculated answer is entered into a table in a Results section
- Summarize Results
- Draw Conclusions
- Other Things You Can Mention in the Conclusion
Some Guidelines for Experimental Procedures
- Select only one thing to change/test in each experiment. Things that can be changed are called variables.
- Change something that will help you answer your questions.
- The procedure must explain how you will measure the amount of change.
- Each experiment should have a "control" for comparison so that you can see what the change actually did.
- Obtain materials and equipment
- Make a list of the things you need to do the experiment, and prepare them.
- Do the experiments and record data. Experiments must be repeated.