How to Use the Scientific Method

The scientific method is a tool used to discover the truth about natural phenomena. Factors such as culture, contemporary thought, trends and our personal level of education all influence our perceptions and observations of what is going on around us. The scientific method minimizes the biases present in everyday life to ensure that scientists are not influenced by prejudice when testing hypothesis and theories.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Observe your surroundings. The first step in the scientific method is observation. Observing natural phenomena is bound to lead to questions. Formulate questions and choose one that is worth researching.

2. Research the problem. Ask questions and read everything you can about the problem you want to research.

3. Formulate a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a concept that has yet to be verified, but if proved true would explain certain facts about a specific phenomena. A good hypothesis explains the causal relationship between two variables and is often phrased as an "If-Then" statement.

4. Design an experiment. The main purpose of the scientific method is to discover truths about natural phenomena. Design an experiment that generates enough of the right type of data needed to answer the questions generated by your hypothesis.

5. Test the hypothesis by employing your chosen methodology. Use appropriate measures to eliminate all biases whenever possible.

6. Organize the results generated from testing.

7. Reach a conclusion after organizing and analyzing the results of your experiment. Discuss the results. Compare the results to your original hypothesis. Figure why it worked, or why it didn't.

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