Scientific Experiments

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Scientific Experiments

Three key elements to doing a science experiment; observe, alter, and repeat.

You are to observe something that you want to know more about.

Possibly alter a previous plan made to deeper discover what you are curious about.

Last you are to repeat the past experiments to see if you get the same results as you did with your altered experimental plan and study the differences.

A list in which you write down the process used to go about doing a scientific experiment is called a procedure.

There is a type of experiment called a controlled experiment where you do an experiment a few times before changing anything you want to further observe.

Doing the experiment by itself a few times is called the control parts of the experiment.

When you change parts of the experiment, the parts of the experiment that stay the same are called the constants.

There are two main kinds of variables in an experiment, a dependent and independent variable.

A dependent variable is a variable that if changed is usually caused by the altering of another variable in the experiment.

An independent is a variable that if changed it is usually done on purpose.

An example of two separate types of experiments would be the goldfish experiment.

Refer to page 14 for more info on the goldfish experiment.

How to productively collect data: To collect more data pay attention to details.

You also have to make sure to record your data while doing the experiment not after.

The best way to organize and present your data is by putting it in a table.

After doing the experiment multiple ways and times you will draw a conclusion.

This means you are going into the phase of explaining what you saw and how and why it happened.

When drawing a conclusion you may have to infer some of the facts to come to a specific conclusion.

To infer means to observe facts you did not necessarily witness.