Directions: design a simple scientific investigation on a specific problem in your area or at home, write it on your science notebook. for example, you turn the light switch ON and the bulb does not light inside your room. use scientific method in your investigation. describe each step that you will do to solve the problem
observation:
Question:
hypothesis:
Experiment:
analysis:
conclusion:
Answers
Answer:
3: Form a Hypothesis
A hypothesis is an educated guess meaning an explanation for something that happens based on facts that can then be tested to try and find logical answers.
EXAMPLE: The light bulb is burned out.
Your hypothesis should answer your question of why the lamp does not come on. You can come to this conclusion based on your own knowledge or from researching how a lamp works. We assume that if the lamp is plugged in and turned on that it should light. We also know that if other lights in the house are on, some electricity is running through the house. Your hypothesis does not have to be proven correct by your experiment, it just needs to be testable.
Having more than one hypothesis is fine. There could be a number of reasons why the lamp is not lit and testing them all might be the only way to find an answer. Before beginning to experiment, use logical reason to determine if any of your hypotheses can be eliminated. Maybe the fuse is blown or the outlet is bad. The switch could be wired wrong or broken. These are all testable hypotheses that could be looked into if the light bulb is not the problem.
STEP 4: Experiment
An experiment is a step-by-step procedure that is carried out under controlled conditions to attempt to prove a hypothesis, discover and unknown effect or law, or to illustrate a known law.
EXAMPLE: First remove the light bulb and screw it back in tightly to make sure that it was not loose. If that does not work, take the bulb from a lamp you know is working and place it in the broken lamp. If that lights, try another bulb to be sure.
Your experimental set-up should include a control and a variable. You may include more than one variable, but this will increase the size of your experiment. It is also very important to replicate in your experimetal procedure to avoid error. This means that you should try it at least three times. From your experiment you will need to gather data. Data can be organized in charts and or graphs and numerical data should be measured using the metric system.
The Metric System
How To Organize a Data Table
How To Graph
STEP 5: Draw a Conclusion
A conclusion is a reasonable judgment based on the examination of data from an experiment. The result or outcome of an act or process.
EXAMPLE: The lamp lit after the bulb was changed, therefore the light bulb must have been burned out.
You might also know from experience that if the filament is broken in a light bulb, it will make a rattling sound when you shake the bulb. To confirm your results, you could shake the bulb.
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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0442049.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
So here's the scenario at home:
"I saw that my mother's plants are not growing as well as they could and are in poor form."
Observation (What you saw)
My mother's plants are suffering from neglect.
Inquiry (Your question based on what you saw)
Why are the plants in such bad shape? Is it possible that the dirt utilized isn't suitable?
Ideas for Improvement (Your assumed answer to your question)
Because the existing soil is nutrient-deficient, it must be replaced with another pot of soil that is nutrient-rich and helpful to the plant.
Experimentation is essential. (Experimenting with your theory)
We divided the experiment into two groups to test if our theory was right. The control group consisted of the plant grown in my mother's old soil. The experimental group's freshly fertilized and nutrient-rich soil.
Examine (The result of your experimentation)
The plant with the fertilized soil grew to a healthier and better state than the one with the old dirt after a few days.
Last thoughts (What you can say about your analysis)
Because the plant's development is influenced in part by the soil in which it is placed, suitable soil conditions must be maintained to keep the plants healthy.