What is the Scientific Method?
Have you ever wondered what steps do scientists follow to give such amazing theories and inventions? The immense knowledge and world-transforming theories that the scientific society provides us are incredible indeed. Sometimes these theories and experiments can even shake the roots of our understanding. We can find the answers to our unanswered questions through science. In a real sense, this field plays a crucial role in advancing our civilization and building a better future for ourselves. It is all thanks to the scientific methods that we can enjoy such a comfortable life that was never possible before. So you must be thinking, what is the scientific method? To understand and discuss the essential methods of Scientific method of research and scientific method steps, we must first understand the scientific method definition physics.
Scientific Method Definition
What is the scientific method? Well, the scientific method definition states that a method that is devised to gather knowledge and further develop the field of science is known as the scientific method. This rigorous process involves several steps, mainly 8 steps of the scientific method in order. We have been using this process since the 17th century for the development of science. It involves using observation scepticism since assumptions can twist the things that we observe. Scientists use observations to formulate their hypotheses and perform experiments regarding the same. Going through several processes, they refine their hypothesis to give accurate results. Some of these are investigation, verification, and construction of reliable observation and theories. They often use scientific inquiry to create a reliable framework and based upon that bring out the positive or negative results scientifically. Let us discuss the essential methods of Scientific method of research. We will further look at a scientific method example, scientific method steps, and definitions.
Who invented the Scientific Method?
The scientific method was not invented by one person. It is the result of centuries of discussions and debate on how best to find out how the world works.
Greek philosopher Aristotle was one the first ones to push for the application of observation and reasoning to figure out the workings of nature. Arab mathematician and scientist Hasan Ibn al-Haytham is cited as the first one to write about the importance of experimentation.
Over centuries, many scientists like Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, John Hume, John Stuart Mill, Thomas Aquinas, among others, have written about how science should ideally be conducted, leading to our modern understanding of the scientific method. As today’s scientists continue to explore new techniques and areas of science, the scientific method continues to evolve.
What are the Scientific Method Steps?
To discuss the essential methods of the Scientific method of research, we will have to look at the steps objectively through a broad perspective.
The scientific method is applied in all sciences, including biology, physics, chemistry, geology and psychology. However, their core approach towards finding answers that are logical and supported by evidence are the same because at the core of all sciences lies a problem-solving approach.
The scientific method has five steps and one feedback step:
Make an observation
Ask a question
Form a hypothesis
Make a prediction based on the hypothesis
Test the prediction
Then the additional step of iteration or using the results to make new hypotheses or predictions.
Generally, all scientific methods follow this same pattern.
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Let’s take a Closer look at the Steps involved in the Scientific Method:
Formulate a Question Based on Observation: This is the initial step of the scientific method that involves observing every aspect of the phenomenon. And then based on these observations formulate the relevant questions regarding the aspect of the topic. Suppose if we were to observe a natural phenomenon such as the colour of the sky, then we can ask questions such as why is the colour of the sky blue?. These observations and evidence will help formulate the right question that will affect the outcome in turn.
Collect Data: The next step consists of collecting all the required data and doing background research. A thorough research will help you find the best ways and methods to go about the subject matter. Studying theories, previous experiments, findings and possibilities ensures that you don't repeat mistakes made by people in the past.
Form Hypothesis: Form a hypothesis (a conjecture explaining any given behaviour) based on the collected information. It can be very specific or cover a broad spectrum—for example, unknown species at the depths of the ocean. There are several types of hypothesis, such as null, alternative, statistical, etc. A hypothesis must be in such a way so that there can be a different possible result as deduced from the hypothesis.
Experimentation: We must perform a thorough investigation of observations and hypotheses so that we can know whether our theory behaves similarly in the real world or not. This observation can be achieved through rigorous testing and experiments. Your experiment tests whether your prediction is accurate and whether your hypothesis is correct or not. It is also important to repeat the test several times to be sure that the results are accurate and consistent, and not just an accident.
Analyze the Result: After getting the results through testing and experimentation, we must analyze it thoroughly. So we can determine our next step. The results are compared to the predictions given by the hypothesis in the earlier stages. If the result comes out to be false, then we form a new hypothesis. And if the result is not adequate, then we perform further experiments.
Forming a Conclusion: Lastly based on the entire process, we formulate a relevant conclusion.
Scientific Method Example
Let us look at a scientific method example to understand the process. The topic is growing a money plant.
Observation and Question: We want to find out how the environment affects the growth of a money plant in a time frame of five weeks.
Hypothesis: The hypothesis would be that money plants can grow anywhere regardless of the environment.
Experimentation: An experiment would be to take four money plants in different pots. And keep two of them inside and the remaining outside. We will Keep the initial conditions such as soil quality, amount of sunlight, amount of water, etc. constant. Upon completion of five weeks, we will observe all the plants and measure their size.
Analyzing: We will analyze the data such as the growth of plants, height, etc. and compare the results from the two environments to determine which is better suited for the purpose.
Conclusion: We can draw a logical conclusion from the analyzed data and form a relevant report.
FAQs on Scientific Methods
1. What is Scientific Enquiry?
To predict the results of several experiments, scientists gather knowledge in terms of testable explanations. This process is called scientific enquiry. It helps them to get a better understanding of the topic they are studying. Then further using this study in several mechanisms such as finding a cure for a variety of diseases. A better explanation of the topic helps produce more accurate results(i.e. to produce better solutions than its alternatives).
2. What are the Properties of Scientific Enquiry?
The scientist’s knowledge is based upon their findings in the research, and it is subject to falsification, that is if the observations are not compatible. Generally, no theory is said to be final. It entirely depends upon the future evidence that can change the theory. If we find any such evidence, then the theory needs to be reformulated. Hence the process is subject to repetition multiple times to find a better result.
3. What can scientists do to avoid false negatives in an experiment?
False negatives happen when a scientist concludes that an experiment has failed when it has probably succeeded. It is a condition in an experiment where a researcher expected a positive result, but didn’t get one.
To prevent the false negative, the researcher must estimate the sample with high specificity. This technique is called the golden standard method, as it minimizes the risk of false negatives.
Testing the specimen sample multiple times.
Testing the working capacity of a reagent before the experiment.
Repeated studies and collecting accumulative evidence of the phenomenon before setting up an experiment.
Conducting different experiments to corroborate one point.
4. What are the different types of hypotheses?
The different types of hypotheses are:
Simple Hypothesis: In this hypothesis, the scientist makes a prediction about the relationship between one independent variable and one dependent variable.
Complex Hypothesis: It predicts the relationship between two or more independent or dependent variables.
Directional Hypothesis: It refers to following an expected direction , generally derived from a certain theory, to determine the relationship between variables.
Non-directional Hypothesis: This hypothesis does not follow or predict a specific direction to determine the relationship between two variables.
Associative Hypothesis: It defines the dependency between variables. And a change in one of the variables could result in a change in the other variables.
Casual hypothesis: It proposes what kind of an effect the manipulation of the independent variable will have on the dependent variable.
Null Hypothesis: It states a negative statement to support the researcher’s findings that there is no relationship between two variables.
Alternative Hypothesis: It states that there is a relationship between the two variables of the study.
5. Do scientists actually use the scientific method?
Yes, but not exactly as it is in theory. Scientists follow the basic principles of the scientific method, which include the observations, experimentation, and studying the data to support or reject explanations and theories.
They use the scientific method, but it isn’t always exactly in the same way as it is laid out in the form of organized steps taught in a class. A scientist could modify the scientific method by skipping certain steps, repeating some steps or going back and forth between a set of steps because scientists deal with real-world conditions that are from perfect.
