Being A Good Scientist & Lab Safety

Being A Good Scientist

• Follow directions
• Ask relevant questions
• Make detailed observations (all 5 senses if appropriate)

Lab Safety

• Tie back long hair, avoid baggy clothing, and take off jewelry
• NO HORSEPLAY
• Always wear safety glasses (unless you have regular glasses)
• If you break something, especially glass, tell the teacher
• Follow lab procedures as written
• Never return chemicals to original container, could contaminate the chemicals remaining in the bottle
• Never directly smell chemicals
• Do not pour chemicals down the drain unless instructed to
• Never leave a flame unattended
• No food or drink at the lab

Scientific Method

• 5 Steps:
• State problem/make observation
• Form a hypothesis (educated guess)
• Test your hypothesis (experiment)
• Record and analyze data in the form of charts and graphs
• Write a conclusion or restate your hypothesis

Making A Hypothesis

• Cannot be an opinion
• Has to be written as an if, then statement
• Must predict something will happen
• Cannot be previously proven or already known (by the general population)
• MUST BE TESTABLE
• Has to be descriptive and not vague