Scientific and Engineering Method
The Scientific Method means coming up with a good question, figuring out what kind of information will answer that question, figuring out how to get that information, getting that information, organizing and analyzing it to come up with a conclusion, and sharing it with others. When you do this, you are doing science.
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The Engineering Method is similar but the goal is to identify a problem that needs solving and then to design and test your solution.
The following is a comparison of the two methods:
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You are a scientist.
1. Choose a subject that interests you.
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What do you want to find out? Choose something interesting to you. Something you want to know the answer to. Ask a question about something you want to know.
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2. Learn more about it by doing background research
Find a book at the library or search the internet. Talk to people who know about your problem. Make sure your sources are scientific and reliable. Make observations.
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3. Develop a hypothesis – a statement you can test.
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A hypothesis is a statement based on something assumed to be true – one you can test. It is the answer you think you’ll get, (like: if I put things in water, then the wooden ones will float). Be very clear, so, at the end, you can say if your hypothesis is true or false.
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4. Decide how to test your hypothesis.
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Then write down the materials and tools (materials) you’ll need. Write down all the steps you will take in your experiment. Write them in order and number them. These are your procedures. Anyone else can follow them to repeat your experiment exactly. Be sure you only changing the things you want to test. These are your variables. If half your plants go in the sun and half under a box, make sure they all get watered the same way.
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5 . Test your hypothesis – by experimentation or observation.
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Follow the procedures. Write data and observations in a notebook. Draw pictures or take photos. Be accurate! Scientists record exactly what they observe. They make sure not to mix what happened with ideas about why it happened.
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6. Organize, analyze, and discuss your data.
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Make tables, charts, or graphs to help you understand what you have observed. Write about what happened. What did you notice? Did anything go wrong? Did anything really unexpected happen?
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7. State your conclusions.
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Why did the results come out the way they did? Look at the data you collected. Were they what you expected? Did you find out what you wanted to know? What does your data say about the hypothesis? Is your hypothesis true or false? Are you sure? What would you do differently if you were starting over? Did you observe anything interesting that someone would like to test in the future? What kind of experiment would that be?
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8. Summarize and communicate
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Write an abstract –If you are in grade 4 or above, you need to include a special one-page summary of your entire project. Make a display that explains your experiment, observations, and conclusions. Anyone else can learn about what you did by looking at your presentation, even if you are not there to talk about it. Be ready to answer all the questions others have about your interesting project. Abstracts are optional for students in grades K through 3.
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You are an engineer.
1. Choose a subject that interests you.
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What do you want to learn about? Choose something interesting to you. What problems are there which need solving?
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2. Learn more about it by doing background research
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Find a book at the library or search the internet. Talk to people who know about your problem. Make sure your sources are scientific and reliable. Make observations.
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3. Specify Requirements for the Solution to the Problem
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Identify the problem to be solved and the requirements which will be met in order to resolve that problem. The idea here is to develop the scope and requirements ofo the solution. In other words, if you were making a special lamp, this is where you determine how bright the lamp should be, max energy consumption, brightness, etc.
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4. Brainstorm about the possible solutions
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Write down ideas related to solving the problem. In this step, it is important to understand that there may be several solutions. Even if the solution seems impossible or impractical, write it down. More ideas helps us to see the problem in different ways.
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5. Design and Prototype a solution
This is where your potential solution will be designed, detailed, and created, possibly with a prototype. This step should be carefully thought out since a greatest portion of the project time will be spent on this step in order to create the engineered solution to the problem.
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6. Test your prototype and collect data.
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Make tables, charts, or graphs to help you understand how your prototype performed. Write about what happened. What did you notice? Did anything go wrong? Did anything really unexpected happen? Does the prototype need to be modified? Are the project requirements realistic? Gather information of every aspect possible.
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7. State your conclusions.
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Why did the results come out the way they did? Look at how the prototype performed. Was it what you expected? Did the engineered solution solve the problem? Does the solution need to be revised? Are the requirements realistic? What would you do differently if you were starting over? Did you observe anything unexpected that could be incorporated into the solution in the future? Is this type of solution worth pursuing?
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8. Summarize and communicate
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Write an abstract –If you are in grade 4 or above, you need to include a special one-page summary of your entire project. Make a display that explains your project, observations, and conclusions. Anyone else can learn about what you did by looking at your presentation, even if you are not there to talk about it. Be ready to answer all the questions others have about your interesting project. Abstracts are optional for students in grades K through 3.