The Scientific Method

• 1. Natural Causality
• 2. Uniformity in Time and Space
• 3. Common Perception

The concept that every event in nature is has a natural cause. Approaching something scientifically means looking for cause and effect.

Natural Laws are consistent across the universe regardless of when or where they occur.

The mechanics of how people perceive an event through their senses does not vary, however the interpretation of the perception can vary widely from individual to individual.

• 1. Observation
• 2. Formulate a research hypothesis
• 3. Experiment
• 4. Form a Conclusion

Taking in information through one's senses either firsthand or through the review of another observer's findings.  The observation must be repeatable.

• Adjective
• 1.derived from or guided by experience or experiment.
• 2.depending upon experience or observation alone, withoutusing scientific method or theory, especially as in medicine.
• 3.provable or verifiable by experience or experiment.
• Per Dictionary.com

A testable suggested explanation for the observed event

The test of the Hypothesis which is repeated several times to allow for a conclusion which may or may not support the original hypothesis.

The detemintation that is arrived at by taking into account the outcomes of the testing of the hypothesis through experimentation.

• 1. The Independent Variable
• 2. The Dependent Variable
• 3. The Control Variables

The Independent Variable is the variable that is being changed in the experiment to determine the effect on the dependent variable.

It is the variable that is expected to change based upon the independent variable being changed. (The independent varible has an effect upon the dependent variable)

The control variables that are all held constant during the experiments as the independent variable changes.

Controlled experiements are conducted in controlled environments such as a lab.  The experimenter has control over the variables and can alter one thing to see if there is an effect on the dependent variable.

Experiments which are conducted in a natural environment.  Often this means that the researcher has little control over the variables of the environment.