HONORS LIVING ENVIRONMENT
MS. ETRI
TOPIC 1: THE SCIENCE OF BIOLOGY AND SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
PART 2: THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD?
_______________________________________________________________________________________.

It is not a rigid step by step process

Scientists perform unique combinations and
________________________ of these
“steps” according to the needs of the investigation.

Scientific investigations often involve ________________________ the same steps many times to
account for new information and ideas.
“STEPS” OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

ASK QUESTIONS

A broad, general question drives the investigation: “What happens when you eat spicy food?”

Define the problem—Limit what you want to explore.

For example, your general question might be, “What is the effect of global climate
change?”

How could you narrow down
your question?
____________________
____________________
____________________.


Form the question—Develop a question that can drive a research study.
RESEARCH KNOWN INFORMATION AND FORMULATE A HYPOTHESIS
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HONORS LIVING ENVIRONMENT
MS. ETRI

Consult published books and articles about your topic to guide your expected outcome.

HYPOTHESIS: a __________________________________________________________ of a
natural phenomenon.

It should also be potentially falsifiable. (There should be a clear way to demonstrate the
hypothesis is false.)

What could be a hypothesis of the spicy food question above?

If body temperature increases, then spicy food increases body temperature and one sweats. If
body temperature remains the same, then spicy food probably stresses the body, resulting in a
sweat.

PERFORM THE EXPERIMENT AND RECORD DATA!


Choose the means to investigate your question, gather or create materials and record data.

Record data with: ___________________________

Represent data with: ________________________
DRAW CONCLUSIONS (ANALYZE YOUR RESULTS)

Spend considerable time thinking about what your results mean.

Ask yourself how your results connect with what is already known and how you explain them to
colleagues and/or to the general public.


Want to answer: What conclusions can be reached by ______________________ the graphs?
COMMUNICATE WITH OTHERS

Purpose to inform and educate

Many inquiries involve collaborative efforts of several
scientists.
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HONORS LIVING ENVIRONMENT

MS. ETRI
Good communication among them is an essential feature of inquiry. When the study is
completed, the last activity will be formal communication through oral or written
___________________________________
___________________________________________.
http://www.calacademy.org/explore-science/how-science-works
COMPARING SCIENTIFIC THEORY AND SCIENTIFIC LAW
THEORY

A theory is a possible explanation for a set of observations or possible answer based on
_______________________________________________________________ to a scientific question.

It is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world.

A theory is constantly subject to testing, modification, and even refutation as new evidence and ideas
emerge.
o
Example: The theory of evolution by means of natural selection.
LAW

A law is a ______________________________________ about how some aspect of the natural world
behaves under stated circumstances.
o
Can be a verbal or mathematical statement of a relation that expresses a fundamental principle
of science.

A natural law predicts that
something will happen under a
certain set of circumstances, but it
does not explain why it happens.
Example: The Laws of
Thermodynamics
o
Energy cannot be created or
destroyed, but only changed
in form.
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