Facts and Scientific Method
Facts are something that we know to be true in lay man’s terms. For example all organisms are composed of cell as
stated in the cell theory, DNA is a bearer of genetic information has replaced an earlier misconception that genes are
made of proteins. Facts in cell biology are views held as facts by generation of scientist were eventually discarded and
replaced by new fact. A contemporary example is the fact that sun is the ultimate source of energy in the biosphere.
However a new discovery of deep-sea thermal vents and the thriving communities or organisms that live around them,
none of which are dependent on solar energy. These organisms depend on energy derived from hydrogen sulfide (H 2S)
by bacteria which use the energy to synthesize organic compounds from carbon dioxide. Therefore facts are dynamic
and subject to change. For scientist an attempt to state the best current understanding of the world because of
observation and experimentation. Facts for scientist are only valid until it is revised or replaced by better understanding
based on more careful observations or more discriminating experiments. How does new and better information become
available? Scientist usually assess new information with a scientific approach called scientific method. The five steps of
the scientific method are listed below.
1. Observe something in the natural world and ask a question about how it works. The part of the natural world
that is observed and investigated is usually the area that the scientist specializes in. A botanist, for example,
would observe and ask a question about how plants function.
“Manure has traditionally been used as a fertilizer (something added to the soil that make the plants grow
bigger). Some people use food scraps as fertilizers. What sorts of food scraps can be used as fertilizers?”
2. Make a hypothesis (an educated guess) which attempts to answer the question. This is a sort of educated guess
about what you expect. It is a statement used to predict the outcome of an experiment. Usually, a hypothesis is
written in terms of cause and effect. Alternatively, it may describe the relationship between two phenomena.
One type of hypothesis is the null hypothesis or the no-difference hypothesis. This is an easy type of hypothesis
to test because it assumes changing a variable will have no effect on the outcome. In reality, you probably
expect a change but rejecting a hypothesis may be more useful than accepting one.
3. Design and perform an experiment to test your hypothesis. An experiment has an independent and dependent
variable. You change or control the independent variable and record the effect it has on the dependent variable.
It's important to change only one variable for an experiment rather than try to combine the effects of variables
in an experiment. For example, if you want to test the effects of light intensity and fertilizer concentration on
the growth rate of a plant, you're really looking at two separate experiments.
4. Data Analysis. Record observations and analyze the meaning of the data. Often, you'll prepare a table or graph
of the data. Don't throw out data points you think are bad or that don't support your predictions. Some of the
most incredible discoveries in science were made because the data looked wrong! Once you have the data, you
may need to perform a mathematical analysis to support or refute your hypothesis.
5. Formulate Conclusion. Conclude whether to accept or reject your hypothesis. There is no right or wrong
outcome to an experiment, so either result is fine. Accepting a hypothesis does not necessarily mean it's correct!
Sometimes repeating an experiment may give a different result. In other cases, a hypothesis may predict an
outcome, yet you might draw an incorrect conclusion. Communicate your results. The results may be compiled
into a lab report or formally submitted as a paper. Whether you accept or reject the hypothesis, you likely
learned something about the subject and may wish to revise the original hypothesis or form a new one for a
future experiment.
Scientist collects the data, interprets the result and accept or rejects the hypothesis, which must be consistent
not only with results of a particular experiment but also with prior knowledge. This often involves the use of Occam’s
Razors the principle stating that when we try to understand nature, it is often the simplest explanation consist with
observable facts that is most likely to be correct.
Designing a Good Experiment
The most challenging part of the scientific method is usually the third step, designing and carrying out an
experiment to test the hypothesis. A well-designed experiment should include all of the following characteristics:
Facts are something that we know to be true in lay man’s terms. For example all organisms are composed of cell as
stated in the cell theory, DNA is a bearer of genetic information has replaced an earlier misconception that genes are
made of proteins. Facts in cell biology are views held as facts by generation of scientist were eventually discarded and
replaced by new fact. A contemporary example is the fact that sun is the ultimate source of energy in the biosphere.
However a new discovery of deep-sea thermal vents and the thriving communities or organisms that live around them,
none of which are dependent on solar energy. These organisms depend on energy derived from hydrogen sulfide (H 2S)
by bacteria which use the energy to synthesize organic compounds from carbon dioxide. Therefore facts are dynamic
and subject to change. For scientist an attempt to state the best current understanding of the world because of
observation and experimentation. Facts for scientist are only valid until it is revised or replaced by better understanding
based on more careful observations or more discriminating experiments. How does new and better information become
available? Scientist usually assess new information with a scientific approach called scientific method. The five steps of
the scientific method are listed below.
1. Observe something in the natural world and ask a question about how it works. The part of the natural world
that is observed and investigated is usually the area that the scientist specializes in. A botanist, for example,
would observe and ask a question about how plants function.
“Manure has traditionally been used as a fertilizer (something added to the soil that make the plants grow
bigger). Some people use food scraps as fertilizers. What sorts of food scraps can be used as fertilizers?”
2. Make a hypothesis (an educated guess) which attempts to answer the question. This is a sort of educated guess
about what you expect. It is a statement used to predict the outcome of an experiment. Usually, a hypothesis is
written in terms of cause and effect. Alternatively, it may describe the relationship between two phenomena.
One type of hypothesis is the null hypothesis or the no-difference hypothesis. This is an easy type of hypothesis
to test because it assumes changing a variable will have no effect on the outcome. In reality, you probably
expect a change but rejecting a hypothesis may be more useful than accepting one.
3. Design and perform an experiment to test your hypothesis. An experiment has an independent and dependent
variable. You change or control the independent variable and record the effect it has on the dependent variable.
It's important to change only one variable for an experiment rather than try to combine the effects of variables
in an experiment. For example, if you want to test the effects of light intensity and fertilizer concentration on
the growth rate of a plant, you're really looking at two separate experiments.
4. Data Analysis. Record observations and analyze the meaning of the data. Often, you'll prepare a table or graph
of the data. Don't throw out data points you think are bad or that don't support your predictions. Some of the
most incredible discoveries in science were made because the data looked wrong! Once you have the data, you
may need to perform a mathematical analysis to support or refute your hypothesis.
5. Formulate Conclusion. Conclude whether to accept or reject your hypothesis. There is no right or wrong
outcome to an experiment, so either result is fine. Accepting a hypothesis does not necessarily mean it's correct!
Sometimes repeating an experiment may give a different result. In other cases, a hypothesis may predict an
outcome, yet you might draw an incorrect conclusion. Communicate your results. The results may be compiled
into a lab report or formally submitted as a paper. Whether you accept or reject the hypothesis, you likely
learned something about the subject and may wish to revise the original hypothesis or form a new one for a
future experiment.
Scientist collects the data, interprets the result and accept or rejects the hypothesis, which must be consistent
not only with results of a particular experiment but also with prior knowledge. This often involves the use of Occam’s
Razors the principle stating that when we try to understand nature, it is often the simplest explanation consist with
observable facts that is most likely to be correct.
Designing a Good Experiment
The most challenging part of the scientific method is usually the third step, designing and carrying out an
experiment to test the hypothesis. A well-designed experiment should include all of the following characteristics:
