The Scientific Method

The scientific method

The scientific method is a process for experimentation that is used to explore observations and answer questions. 

1. Ask a question - The scientific method starts when you ask a question about something that you observe: How, What, When, Who, Which, Why, or Where?
2. Do background research - Rather than starting from scratch in putting together a plan for answering your question, you should use the library and Internet research to help you find the best way to do things and ensure that you don't repeat mistakes from the past.
3. Construct a hypothesis - A hypothesis is an educated guess about how things work. It is an attempt to answer your question with an explanation that can be tested. A good hypothesis allows you to then make a prediction:
   "If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen."
4. Experiment - Your experiment tests whether your prediction is accurate and thus your hypothesis is supported or not. It is important for your experiment to be a fair test. You conduct a fair test by making sure that you change only one factor at a time while keeping all other conditions the same. You should also repeat your experiments several times to make sure that the first results weren't just an accident.
5. Analyse your data - Once your experiment is complete, you collect your measurements and analyze them to see if they support your hypothesis or not.