What is Science?

In order to study science you must first understand what science is and is not. Science is unlike any other subject. It not only requires a person to think but that person must also prove their work. So, you must have a definition for science and understand the process of science.

The next step is to determine how science is performed. Modern scientists want science to be as objective as possible without the scientist's biases interferring.

So, they use a set of procedures that would allow for discovery but still help to maintain objectivity. These procedures are referred to as the scientific method.

Scientific Method

The process of science is the scientific method.

The scientific method is the greatest modern scientific discovery. It consist of a series of steps that can take you from problem to solution. However, the data collected must support the hypothesis to prove the possible solution.

• observe
• hypothesize
• test
• analyze
• conclude

The scientfic method must be used in scientific investigation or there is no science. You might have philosophy or metaphysics but you do not have science.

Experimental Process

The most important part of good science is designing the experiment. You must design your experiment with as few variables as possible and have control of everything else. A controlled experiment will allow for the best data.

Experimental Design Steps:

• State the problem
• Choose a variable
• Choose the controls
• Design an experiment
• Collect and organize data
• Repeat the experiment

The variables in an experiment are the parts that change but there are two types:

• the independent variable
• the dependent variable

The independent variable is the part changed by the scientist and there should only be one independent variable in any acceptable test. The dependent variable is the part changed by the experiment itself and occurs because of the independent variable. Although there will be only one independent, you can several dependent parts.

The controls are the things that must be kept the same in every trial. Anything that doesn't remain constant is a variable.

The information collected is the data and scientist use tables to organize their data. Then this data is analyzed through graphs, charts and equations.