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THE SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENT

Experimentation In order to really consider yourself a scientist, you must at least have conducted one or more experiments. There are very clear methods to conducting a scientific experiment and these are called the Scientific Method.

  1. ASK A QUESTION. This is the very first step of the scientific method and it all begins by coming up with a Who, What, Where, When, Why, How, or Which type question that you are proposing to answer during the next steps. Be sure to make the question something that you can measure and if you can use a number that is preferable.
  2. DO BACKGROUND RESEARCH. The purpose of this step is to accumulate the data which is already in existence for the subject that you will be experimenting with. Using information gathered from the internet as well as library research will allow you to find information out about your subject and help you avoid mistakes that others have made in the past.
  3. CONSTRUCT A HYPOTHESIS. A hypothesis is basically an educated guess about how you think that things will turn out. Usually a hypothesis is worded in the format, “If…..This….Then….This…Will Happen”. You must state your hypothesis in a way that it can be easily measured and of course, your hypothesis should be constructed to help you answer the original question.
  4. TEST YOUR HYPOTHESIS. This is the point at which you conduct an experiment to see whether your hypothesis is true or false. It is important that you keep all factors consistent (as much as possible) using only one variable at time to help you accurately get results. You should repeat your original experiment over and over for several tries to make sure that your first results were not an accident or a mistake.
  5. ANAYLIZE YOUR DATA AND DRAW A CONCLUSION. Once you have completed your experiment, you must collect the measurements that you have gotten and then see if your hypothesis is true or false. Scientists often use their data to construct a new hypothesis, if their old hypothesis was proven to be false. Even when their hypothesis turns out to be true, many scientists retest this data over and over again for accuracy and understanding.
  6. COMMUNICATE YOUR RESULTS. To complete your experiment you must be able to communicate your results. Many times this is done through publications but other times results may be presented orally using charts and graphs. It is most important to accurately represent your information in a way that will be clearly and concisely understood by others.

Whether you are conducting an experiment at home, for a school project, or you are an actual scientist working in a laboratory, the scientific method for conducting an experiment should be the same. Following these steps in the order provided will guarantee clear and accurate results from any experiment.