EMS Homework Help

The Scientific Method

Overview:
This Lesson will help you with setting up and doing well on science projects. If you follow this study guide you will do much better in your science class.

  Step one:
Problem- The question you would like to answer.
Ex. If a metal car and a wooden car go down the same hill the metal car will have a faster time.

  Step two:
Hypothesis- The possible answer to your problem that you think will happen.
Ex. I think the metal car will go slightly faster.

  Step three:
Experiment- How your going to set up the hypothesis. Must be written in procedures that can be repeatable.              Ex. I will make the two cars one from wood and one from metal.They will both have the same shape and size. The hill has a 9% grade. The Independent Variable (IV) is that one of the cars is wood and the other is metal. The Dependent Variable (DV) is that I use the same hill and cars for each trial.  

  Step four:
Materials- Things you need to complete the assignment.
Ex.A wooden car, a metal car, a stop watch and a roll of white tape. 

Step five:
Procedure- The steps you take to do the experiment.            
Ex.        1.Put the tape at the bottom of the hill to resemble the finish line.
             2.Set both cars at the top of the hill.

             3.Then at the same time push the cars and start timing.   
             and so on
 
Step six:

Data- The ending results or what happened during the experiment using tables or table and calculations.
Picture
Step seven:
Analysis-graph or graphic organizer (Venn diagram for example)

Picture
Step Eight:
Conclusion- tells what you have learned from the experiment                                                                                                Ex. I had learned that the metal car went an average of 4.97 seconds faster than the wooden car because the metal car is heavier. Both of the cars were the same size and shape.             



ADDITIONAL REMINDERS:

  • Must be in blue or black ink if handwritten (graphs may be in pencil).
  • If typed, Times New Roman font with 12 point font size.
  • Title follows format in order to be descriptive.
  • Problem written in question form.
  • Hypothesis is written as an “If, then” statement.
  • Procedures are numbered or lettered and follow a step-by-step complete sentence direction.
  • Data tables may be vertical (IV on the left and DV on the right) or horizontal (IV on the first row, DV on the second row), and have a descriptive title.
  • All calculations, if shown, must include formula and/or steps
  • Graphs , if used, must by on graph paper, grid, or computer generated (one graph per grid or graph paper size), planned so words and/or numbers are not squeezed together; legible, and have a descriptive title.
  • Graphic organizers, if used, must properly headed and legible.
  • Conclusion is as a narrative in paragraph form.
  • Remember, lab reports are technical documents that can repeatable and follow a process of thinking. This is just one of many ways to organize this process.
  • Also the title should be at the top the page and centered