The scientific method is a process used by scientists to investigate phenomena and answer questions through observation and experimentation. It has evolved over thousands of years through contributions from ancient Greek philosophers like Aristotle, Islamic scholars like Ibn al-Haytham, and later scientists like Galileo, Newton, and Popper. The modern scientific method typically involves 6 steps: asking a question, forming a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis through experiments, analyzing results, drawing conclusions, and communicating findings. This process helps organize investigations and keep them focused.

1. Steps of the
Scientific Method
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2. Put on your thinking caps!
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3. What is the Scientific Method?
4 The scientific method is a series of steps
that scientists use to answer questions
and solve problems.
4 It is used to organize observations and
keep your investigation focused.
4 The scientific method has several steps
that must be followed (in the correct
order) to help guide you through your
scientific investigation.
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4. Variation of the scientific method
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5. History of the Scientific Method
4 The history of the scientific method is a
fascinating and long one, covering thousands
of years of history.
4 The development of the scientific method
involves some great scientists and
philosophers.
4 The Greeks are credited with developing
the scientific method that we recognize and
still use today.
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6. Ancient Greece
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7. Aristotle
4 Aristotle is regarded as the father of science and
was the first to realize the importance of an
organized system to carry out scientific
investigations.
4 Aristotle followed three steps in his version of the
scientific method:
4 1. Study what others have written about the
subject.
4 2. Look for similarities amongst those writings.
4 3. Perform an organized study and experimentation
on everything related to the subject.
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8. Aristotle
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9. Muslim Influence on the Scientific
Method
4 A great Islamic scholar by the name of Ibn al-
Haytham took what Aristotle developed and built
upon that.
4 He developed a scientific method that is very similar
to the one we follow today.
4 Here are the steps Ibn followed in his scientific
investigations:
4 1. State a problem based on observations and
experimentations.
4 2. Test a hypothesis through experimentation.
4 3. Interpret the data from the experiment and come
to a conclusion (using mathematics).
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4 4. Publish the findings.

10. Ibn al-Haytham
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11. Other Scientists
4 There were many other scientists that
contributed to the development of the
scientific method including Sir Frances
Bacon, Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, and Karl
Popper.
4 Each either added, took away, or changed
some steps of the early scientific method to
eventually produce the modern scientific
method that we use today.
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12. Carl Popper
Galileo Galilei
Sir Frances Bacon
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Sir Isaac Newton

13. The Modern Scientific Method
4 There are 6 steps to the scientific method
we use today.
4 Step 1: Ask a question.
4 Step 2: Form a hypothesis.
4 Step 3: Test the hypothesis.
4 Step 4: Analyze the results.
4 Step 5: Draw conclusions.
4 Step 6: Communicate results.
4 We will go over each step in detail in
separate lessons. 13

14. A
never-
ending
process
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15. Variations
4 Of course, as with most scientific methods
and procedures there are variations of the
scientific method that exist even today.
4 In the future you may have teachers that
prefer to include additional steps or even
leave some steps out all together.
4 For this class you will follow the 6 steps
described above since all of the lessons will
build on those steps.
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16. Variations
on the
scientific
method
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