The Scientific MethodPart One: Unit One, Lesson 2.1By Margielene D. Judan

LESSON OUTLINE

Throwback: Superstitions and Beliefs The Scientific Method Basic Steps of the Scientific Method

THROWBACK: Superstitions and Belief

Answer the following questions before we start the lesson: What are superstitions? Give example of a superstition. Do you believe in superstitions? Why or why

not?

Examples of Superstitions (do not copy)

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day. A rabbit’s foot brings good luck. If you walk under a ladder, you will have a bad

luck. Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires. Our fate is written in the stars

Examples of Superstitions (do not copy)

Eating fish makes you smart. A cat has nine lives. It is bad luck to sing and sleep on a table. Goldfish in the pond brings good luck. To drop a fork means a woman will visit. To drop a spoon means a child will visit.

Superstitions are beliefs, which are not usually explained using the methods of natural sciences.

Superstitions cannot be verified as 100% true (though some could be true like the old hypothesis of Copernicus that the earth was round) because it is only based on observation and hypothesis.

A superstition flowchart

Q. Why is this not reliable?

A. Because it has not been tested true!

In order to be classified as a fact, it must be observable, and true at all times.

It must undergo a process of investigation. This is the scientific method.

Example 1: A cat has nine lives.

Is this a fact or not? Prove it.

Example 1: A cat has nine lives.SCIENTIFIC APPROACH:1. I shoot the cat with a gun on its

head. (Testing)2. It died grossly! (Result)3. Therefore, it has only one life!

(Conclusion)

It is a superstition! Fact must be true and observable at all times.

Example 2: All Filipinos speak Tagalog.SCIENTIFIC APPROACH:1. Juan is born in Iloilo.2. Therefore, he is a Filipino.3. Juan knows only how to speak

Bisaya.4. Therefore, not all Filipinos speak

Tagalog.

Example 2: All Filipinos speak Tagalog.

Is this a fact or not? Prove it.

It’s not a fact! Though most Filipinos speak Tagalog, not all do. A fact must be true and observable at all times, as said earlier.

As a student, you can explore the world and solve everyday problems using the scientific method.

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

It is a systematic way of investigation in order to solve a problem.

BASIC STEPS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

1. State the problem or ask questions. (Observation)

2. Form a hypothesis.

3. Test your hypothesis by experimentation.

4. Record and analyze data.

5. State a conclusion.

6. Report your findings.

The Scientific Method Flowchart

(always use this chart when making scientific investigations)

1. State the problem or ask questions. (Observation)

For this lesson, we’ll use this problem.

Problem/Observation:

Half of the class are sleeping during Science 7.

2. Form a hypothesis.

A hypothesis is an educated guess or a simple statement that presents the possible solution to the problem.

Hypothesis:

Ma’am Judan guessed that maybe most of them stayed up late last night by watching teleserye and using Facebook.

3. Test your hypothesis by experimentation.

An experiment is a set of specific observations. It is a test of your hypothesis.

Experimentation:

Upon going home, Ma’am Judan opened her Facebook and saw most of her class still online by 12 midnight. She chatted with the class president to know what most of her students are doing. The president said they are staying up late at night to watch “Pangako Sayo” and “The Buzz”.

4. Record and analyze data.

Some forms of analyzing data:

1. Through a table

2. Using a chart or a diagram

For Ma’am Judan, her data is the chat message which the class president sent to her:“Ma’am Judan, nagpupuyat po sila para manuod ng “Pangako Sayo” at “The Buzz”.”

5. State your conclusion.

A conclusion is an answer to the problem. It must support the hypothesis.

Conclusion:

Half of the class are sleeping during Science 7 because they sleep late at night to watch late-night shows and chat endlessly with their Facebook friends.

6. Report your findings.

Finally, it will be good to have someone else look at your findings to help you find any mistakes or unusual results. This will help you improve the procedure next time.

Remember that for an conclusion to be verified true, it must be repeatable at all times when performing the experiment.

What if your conclusion doesn’t support your hypothesis?

Make a new hypothesis and perform a new experiment until you arrive with the same conclusion and hypothesis.

The Scientific Method Flowchart

(always use this chart when making scientific investigations)

Assignment: Copy the article and write the answers on your notebook. If you have internet access, just download this power point at my Slideshare account to see the questions.

Copy the questions first on a 1 whole sheet of paper.

1.State the problem.

2.What was the hypothesis?

3.How was the hypothesis tested?

4.Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment?

5.What should be the new hypothesis and how would you test it?

The Strange Case of BeriBeriIn 1887 a strange nerve disease attacked the people in the Dutch East Indies. The disease was beriberi. Symptoms of the disease included weakness and loss of appetite, victims often died of heart failure. Scientists thought the disease might be caused by bacteria. They injected chickens with bacteria from the blood of patients with beriberi. The injected chickens became sick. However, so did a group of chickens that were not injected with bacteria.

One of the scientists, Dr. Eijkman, noticed something. Before the experiment, all the chickens had eaten whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed polished rice. Dr. Eijkman researched this interesting case and found that polished rice lacked thiamine, a vitamin necessary for good health.

Sources:

Science Links 7 http://

www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/scientific_method_action_key.html