My task and related information

A good scientist is observant and notices things in the world around him.

Observation

Observation is simply information you can gather through your 5 senses

Inference

Inference is something you might have decided about things or an event after you have made an observation. It could be influenced by biases and prejudices, due to past experiences.

Steps of the scientific method

1.     Define the question

2.    Gather information and resources ( observe and infer)

3.    Form hypothesis

4.    Perform experiment and collect data

5.    Analyze data

6.    Interpret data and draw conclusions

7.    Publish results

8.    Retest (frequently done by other scientists)

Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a statement that answers the question, or provides a tentative explanation to why the observed event occurred

Testing the experiment:

Variables

Independent, dependent and controlled variables

Variables: Things in the experiment which can varyàcan affect the outcome of the experiment

1.     Independent variable (Manipulated/input variable) is the variable which the experiment is designed to test

2.    Controlled variables are the factors which must be controlled in the experiment so that they will not affect the outcome.

3.    Dependent variable (output variable) is the variable which the experiment is designed to measure.

Making observations

Doing a scientific investigation always starts with an observation

To begin with, you may not want to go out and start to observe something, and produce a list of observation statement

By asking relevant questions, try to produce a tentative statement on a selected observation

Example experiment

Examples

You are an avid bird watcher and have spent many days watching king fisher bird by the beach.

1.     King fisher birds normally eat in a given beach or river area near your house

2.    These birds are usually found at the beach in the morning

3.    There are many snakes or dogs about the beach in the afternoon

Sample questions

Do kingfisher birds feed only in morning hours?

Do they also feed in the afternoon?

Why do they feed only in the morning?

Where do they go in the afternoon?

What do they do in the afternoon?

Hypothesis statement

Kingfisher birds feed only in the morning hours at the beachfront and move inland in the afternoon to avoid predators

Making hypothesis

Hypothesis statement is a tentatively statement one makes base on certain observations or questions raised

By conducting scientific investigation, we can test the validity of the statement

For more information on the SIP project:

https://sites.google.com/site/ismsip2013/home