Scientific+Method+Reading+Assignment

Scientists learn about the world by observing. In order to make a prediction, scientists have to use what they have observed and try to find a pattern. A hypothesis allows the scientist to make a prediction based on observation. **A hypothesis is an educated guess as to what is likely to happen in an experiment.**

====The scientific method always begins with a **testable question.** The question should include how variables in the experiment will be affected by one another if they are changed. The hypothesis then attempts to predict how the variables will change. If there is no significant difference between the variables before and after the experiment, the variables did not affect each other. If there is a difference, the variables did affect each other.====

==== A **hypothesis** statement will always contain a verb in the future tense. The flower **will grow** if it is watered. A difference in the type of offspring **will occur** when a black cow is mated with a white cow. ====

====**An observation is a measurable fact about the setup and can change over time.** Observations can be either qualitative (descriptive) or quantitative (numerical). Consider each of the following examples. Which one is qualitative and which one is quantitative?====

====Scientists learn about the world by observing, but they cannot always observe everything firsthand. Scientists often use evidence to make inferences about something they are studying. **An inference is like a good guess based on evidence.**====

====Body language is an excellent example of making **inferences.** You do not know the whole story but you can infer that a person is happy, sad or ecstatic by their body language. Those are all inferences!====

====Finally, scientific **laws** are made when no one can find an exception to the rule. Most **laws** discussed in biology correlate to the expression of genetic traits from a mixing of genes (such as Mendel's Law of Independent Assortment). They are also frequently found in Physics (such as Newton's First Law of Motion).====

====**Theories** are ideas about phenomenon that cannot be proven due to a hole in the data. The Cell Theory is an excellent example because if all cells come from pre-existing cells, then where did the first cell come from? Another classic biology theory is the Theory of Evolution. We can prove certain aspects of these theories with scientific experimentation but without recorded data from past scientists at the beginning of time (fat chance!) then there will always be holes in these data.====