Lab Manual - eScience Labs

Lab 1 : Scienfic Method
Concepts to explore:
• Testable observaons
• Hypothesis
• Null hypothesis
• Experimental approach
• Variables
• Controls
Concepts to explore:
• Data collecon
• Analysis
Introducon
What is science? You have likely taken several classes throughout your career as a student, and know
that it is more than just chapters in a book. Science is a process that uses evidence to understand the
history of the natural world and how it works. It is constantly changing as we understand more about
the natural world, and connues to advance the understanding of the universe. Science begins with observaons
that can be measured in some way so that data can be collected in a useful manner by following
the scienfic method.
Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue or why a plant grows toward a window? If so, you have already
taken the first step down the road of discovery. No maer what the queson, the scienfic method
can help find an answer (or more than one answer!). Following the scienfic method helps to insure
sciensts can minimize bias when tesng a theory. It will help you to collect and organize informaon in
a useful way, looking for connecons and paerns in the data. As an experimenter, you should use the
scienfic method as you conduct the experiments throughout this manual.
Figure 1: The process of the scienfic method
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