The scientific method provides scientists with a road map to complete experiments and satisfy their curiosity about the natural world. The process generates questions and establishes cause-and-effect relationships in nature. The scientific method can be applied to any subject, including beans. Beans provide many different opportunities for research. The scientific method guides students through the experimental process to produce repeatable and reliable results.
Ask a Question
The scientific method begins with a question. This question asked guides the rest of the process, including how the experiment will be set up. A question about beans may be "What soil pH leads to the best bean plant height?" or "What amount of water leads to the highest bean production?"
Do Research
Complete background research on your bean. If you know the bean type, look into the variables your question asks, such as soil pH or the amount of water the plant needs. This information can be found through Internet searches or through resources at the library, such as gardening books. This research provides additional information on where to start the experiment and develop the hypothesis.
Form a Hypothesis
The hypothesis determines how the experiment will be conducted. The hypothesis form is "If _____ [I do this] _____, then _____ [this] _____ will happen." In an experiment involving beans, you might form the hypothesis "If I grow a bean plant in soil with a pH of 6, that plant will grow larger than a bean plant grown in soils with higher or lower pH levels."
Conduct an Experiment
At this point of the scientific method, the experiment has already been designed through completing the previous steps. You have determined what you are testing, such as soil pH and plant height, and have developed a hypothesis as to what you think is going to happen. In the experiment, all variables are kept the same for all experimental groups except the independent variable. The independent variable is the item that is different amongst the groups. In the case of the hypothesis used here as an example, that variable is the pH levels of the soil in which beans are planted. For another hypothesis, it could be the amount of water each plant receives.
Observe and Record Data
Throughout the term of the experiment, you must make close observations and collect data. You will use this data to form the conclusions at the end of the experiment and help determine whether the hypothesis should be accepted or rejected. Data for the bean experiment may include plant heights, number of leaves on the plants or the size of the beans produced, depending on the overall length of the experiment. For example, if the experiment lasts only three weeks, you will not be able to measure bean production, as it will take longer than three weeks for the plants to produce beans.
Draw a Conclusion
Analyze all the data you have collected during the the experiment. Use these results to determine whether the hypothesis put forth should be accepted or rejected. A rejected hypothesis does not invalidate the experiment. Rejection of a hypothesis leads to further learning. Do not go back and change the hypothesis to match your results.
Report Your Results
An important part of any scientific experiment is sharing the results of the experiments. This allows other scientists to attempt to repeat your results or to move on to other subjects, because your experiment has provided a result. The report should list all the steps completed and provide detailed information about the experiment and how the results were measured. Note anything from your data analysis that stood out from the rest of the information. For example, if a bean planted in a soil with a pH of 3 germinated before the other beans in the experiment, write that in the report.
Tags: amount water, bean plant, scientific method, _____ this, _____ this _____, accepted rejected, bean production
