2. What is it?
• “A way to ask and answer scientific questions
by making observations and doing
experiments.”
– There are 6 major steps to follow when using The
Scientific Method…
http://www.sciencebuddies.org
3. 1. Ask a question!
• Consider:
– What do you want to learn?
– Why are you going to do an experiment?
– What do you hope to discover?
http://www.sciencebuddies.org http://www.illustrationsof.com
4. 2. Research/ Apply Prior Knowledge
• Consider:
– Do I have access to anything that can provide
me with more information about the subject
of this experiment?
– What do I already know about the items
involved in this experiment?
• Will any of this knowledge help me guess the
outcome?
http://www.sciencebuddies.org http://www.123rf.com
5. 3. Make a hypothesis
• What do you think will happen during the
experiment?
- Why?
http://www.sciencebuddies.org
6. 4. Test your hypothesis!
• This is the step where you begin your
experiment.
– List the materials and steps of the procedure
– Make sure that your experiment is a “fair test”
• Change only 1 variable
• Keep all other aspects of the experiment the same
– Don’t forget to record your results!
http://www.sciencebuddies.org
7. 5. Analyze your data/ Draw a
conclusion
• What happened?
– Did the experiment go as planned?
– Are there any exceptional results that stand out
from the others?
http://www.sciencebuddies.org http://blog.duarte.com
8. 6. Report your results
• Write up your entire process in a complete
paragraph with proper grammar and units (unless
specifically instructed to format otherwise).
• Consider:
– What did I learn?
– Was my hypothesis correct?
– Did anything unusual happen/ why?
– Possibility of human error.
http://www.sciencebuddies.org
10. 1
Question
• What happens when you drop a raw egg and a
hard-boiled egg into separate but equal
containers of tap water?
– Does only the raw egg float?
– Does only the hard-boiled egg float?
– Do both eggs float?
– Do both eggs sink?
11. 2
Research
• What do I already know about eggs?
– “I once dropped an egg in a sink full of dishwater
and it sank to the bottom.”
– “Raw eggs have fluid inside them and fluids that
are not water can often float in or on top of
water.”
– “The raw egg felt heavier than the hard-boiled egg
when I held them.”
12. 3
Hypothesis
• Based on my previous knowledge that a raw
egg will sink in a sink full of dishwater, I
predict that the raw egg in our experiment will
sink when placed in a container of tap water.
When I held the raw egg in one hand and the
hard-boiled egg in my other hand, I felt as
though the hard-boiled egg seemed lighter.
Due to the fact that the hard-boiled egg felt
lighter than the raw egg when I held them, I
predict that the hard-boiled egg will float.
13. 4
Experiment
• Materials:
– 1 raw egg
– 1 hard-boiled egg
– 2 equally sized containers of tap water
• Procedure
– 1: Fill both containers with equal amounts of tap
water. Make sure the water is the same temperature
in each container.
– 2: Place the raw egg in one container of water and the
hard-boiled egg in the other.
– Record observations.
14. 5
Conclusions
• Both the raw egg and hard-boiled egg sank.
• My hypothesis was incorrect.
• I do not believe there to have been any
human error that influenced the results of this
experiment.
15. 6
Reported Results
• In conclusion, neither the raw egg or the hard-
boiled egg floated in their respective
containers of tap water. Furthermore this
experiment proved my hypothesis to be
incorrect as I predicted that the hard-boiled
egg would float. There was no evidence of
human error during this experiment that may
have influenced the results.
