Data - the numbers and measurements you get from the test in a scientific experiment.

Control - A group that is similar to other groups but is left alone so that it can be compared to see what happened to the other groups that are tested.

Now that you have an idea of how the scientific method works there are a few other things to learn so that you will be able test out your new skills and test your hypotheses.

Communicate – share your results so others can learn from your work.

Conclusion – decide how your test results relate to your predictions.

Testing – this is where you get to experiment and be creative.

Prediction – what you think will happen if….

Hypothesis – a fancy name for an educated guess about what causes something to happen.

Observation – seeing, hearing, touching….

Click on the image to see other versions of the scientific method. Just be sure to incorporate all of the elements when seeking unbiased answers. It is better to think of the scientific method as fluid process that can take different paths depending on the situation. Even though these elements can be used in an ordered manner, they do not have to follow the same order. The elements of the scientific method can be used by anyone to help answer questions. No matter how complex the diagram, the scientific method will include the following pieces in order to be complete. Like with the flashlight, you might need to repeat several of the elements of the scientific method to find an answer.

Even those questions that do not seem to be scientific can be solved using this process. No matter what the question, you can use the scientific method to guide you towards an answer. Think of all the possible guesses you could test. Were the new batteries in the right way? Was the switch rusty, or maybe a wire is broken. This probably means you haven’t made enough different guesses (hypotheses) to test the problem. In our flashlight example, you might never get the light to turn on. This is one reason that different scientists will work on the same question and do their own experiments. Even when you find an answer it may not always be the only answer to the question. It can often take a lot more work and tests to find an answer. Not all questions can be answered with only two experiments. You would also communicate what you learned to others with a published report, article, or scientific paper. The results of only the light bulb hypothesis stood up to the test, and we had to reject the battery hypothesis. If this were a scientific project, you would also have written down the results of your tests and a conclusion of your experiments.

Now you test this new hypothesis and prediction by replacing the bulb in the flashlight. It’s time to go back to the store and buy a new light bulb. Your new prediction is if you replace the broken light bulb the flashlight will work. What else could be the answer? You go back and hypothesize that it might be a broken light bulb.

Scientific method map