the scientific method

• Biology - the study of living things (organisms)
• The scientific method - an ordered, logical approach to solving a problem
• Observation - unbiased, accurate report of an event
• Hypothesis - an educated guess based on an observation
• Experiment - the validity of the hypothesis is tested by carrying out experiments
• collecting and interpreting data - data that is collected at the end of the experiment is recorded and analysed
• conclusion - an explanation of the results and will either confirm the hypothesis or not
• Publish - report written so that the experiment can be repeated eg. scientific journal
• Theory - a hypothesis has been supported by experiments over a long period of time
• a theory is not absolutely true but is widely accepted to be true
• principle - when a theory has been shown to be valid under all conditions that can be tested
• principles of experimentations - careful planning and design, safety procedures, control experiement and keeping the procedures fair
• large sample size - more reliable results
• random selection - prevents bias
• replication - validates the results
• daouble-blind testing - eliminates any conscious or unconscious bias
• placebo - substance that has no active medication and acts as a control
• control - a standard against which the actual experiment can be compared
• variables - factors that affect the outcome of the experiment
• limitations of the scientific method - interpreting results, chages in nature and human error
• ethics - whether issues are right or wrong