Science Fair Scientific Method

The Birth of the Scientific Method

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), an Italian astronomer and physicist, believed in discovering facts by first forming a theory (or hypothesis) and then testing it in an experiment. This approach, which we call the scientific method, was a very radical idea in his time. People were more inclined to accept ideas that were in line with their religious beliefs or that seemed logical. But many scientific discoveries do not always appear to make sense. For instance, many of Galileo's contemporaries did not believe that other planets had satellites (like our moon) because they could not see them with their own eyes. Galileo was willing to explore these questions that others had dismissed. He also believed in careful observation and measurement and devel­oped the telescope into a powerful tool for exploring the sky. With this tool he discovered four of Jupiter's satellites. Galileo's desire to test his theories through experiment and learn through obser­vation and measurement moved science forward.

The Scientific Method

The scientific method is the backbone of a science fair project. The scientific method has four parts:

Observation

You notice something in the world that you want to know more about, so you ask a question. The purpose of your science fair project is to answer this question.

Hypothesis

You predict why, when, where, or how whatever you observed happened, based on information you already have. Sometimes this takes the form of an "if ... then" statement. A hypothesis is often called an "educated guess" because you base your prediction on facts you already know.

Testing

Test your hypothesis with a procedure. You can do either an experiment, where everything except the particular thing being tested is carefully controlled, or fieldwork, where you study your subject in the natural world. Careful observations and measurements are recorded in both testing procedures.

Conclusion

You state whether or not your hypothesis was correct based on the results of your testing. If your hypothesis is proven wrong, try to explain why. Make any fur­ther predictions your results could point to, and describe any changes to your pro­cedure you think would give more accurate results or be helpful to further research. Also include any questions you may have thought of during your testing.

Procedure

Procedure is the name given to the steps you take to test your hypothesis.

The purpose of science is to discover things about the world, with accuracy, truth, and objectivity. Scientists:

·        test ideas.

·        weigh evidence carefully.

·        come to conclusions cautiously.

·        make conclusions based on facts.

An important part of the scientist's process of discovery is the procedure. A procedure is a list of steps. The steps you plan to take to test your hypothesis must be clearly written out so that someone else could repeat what you have done. Your procedure:

·        gives step-by-step directions on what to do.

·        lists all the materials and equipment you use.

·        provides any instructions you need to build or use equipment.

Scientists test their hypotheses either through experiment or fieldwork.

Experiment

Experimental observations are made in a controlled environment that you create. How do you create a controlled environment? You isolate what it is you are investigating in the real world and scale it down so that it is smaller and more sim­plified.

In an experiment, a scientist tries to look at how just one thing affects a sub­ject. The tricky part is creating an environment in which only that one thing changes. That is why you often see scientists using test tubes, petri dishes, and other small, enclosed settings for their experiment. It is easier to control what occurs in such environments.

Fieldwork

In fieldwork, a scientist goes into an uncontrolled environment and records his or her observations. What is complicated about fieldwork is that while you are recording your observations, you must make sure that you yourself are not interfer­ing with your subject simply by being there. For instance, you cannot count birds in a tree if you scare any away while you try to count them.

Field Study Finds New Life Forms

Your field study may occur in your own backyard or even at the local nature preserve, but can you imagine exploring the deep rifts in the ocean's floor in a submarine?

In 1977, scientists aboard the research submarine Alvin, from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, discovered a new ecosystem, or community of organisms, thriving near volcanic vents at the bottom of the freezing waters of the Pacific Ocean's Galapagos Rift.

The high heat and hydrogen sulfide from the cracks in the volcanoes provide the energy for special bacteria, a staple of the unique food chain there. Other members of the ecosystem are huge tube worms that measure up to 25 feet long. Because they are so different than anything else known by scientists, they are classified in a phylum, Vestimentifera, by themselves. The scientists named some of the new worms alvinellid worms, after their submarine research vessel.

This strange volcanic ecosystem, based on converting sulphurous chemicals into food, sug­gests to some scientists the possibility that there may be similar strange life-forms on other planets with volcanic activity.