What is the scientific method?

The scientific method: Understanding how scientists solve problems

Have you ever wondered how scientists discover new things or solve tricky problems? They use a special process called the scientific method. This method is like a recipe scientists follow to find answers to questions about the world around us. Just like how you might follow steps to bake a cake, scientists follow steps to make sure their discoveries are correct. Let’s explore these steps!

Step 1: Ask a question
The first step in the scientific method is to ask a question. This question usually begins with words like "what," "why," or "how." For example, a scientist might ask, “Why do plants grow faster in sunlight?” A good question is important because it helps the scientist focus on what they want to find out.

Step 2: Do some research
Once scientists have a question, they do some research to learn more about the topic. This could mean reading books and/or articles, searching for resources and information online, and/or asking other scientists questions. Research helps them understand what’s already known and what they still need to find out. It’s like gathering clues before solving a mystery!

Step 3: Make a hypothesis
After they’ve learned a bit more, scientists make a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a smart guess, or prediction, about what they think the answer to their question might be. For example, a scientist’s hypothesis might be, “I think plants grow faster in sunlight because they use sunlight to make food.” A hypothesis doesn’t have to be right - it’s just an idea to test.

Step 4: Conduct an experiment
This is the fun part! To test their hypothesis, scientists do experiments. In an experiment, they try to keep everything the same except for one thing, called a variable. For example, to test their plant-growing hypothesis, they might grow one plant in the sun and another plant in the shade, giving them the same amount of water. This way, they can see if sunlight really makes a difference.

Step 5: Observe and record
As the experiment goes on, scientists observe, or carefully watch, what happens. They record, or write down, everything they see. Good scientists take detailed notes so they can review the results later. They might notice that the plant in the sunlight is growing faster than the one in the shade. These observations are the “evidence” they need to figure out if their hypothesis was correct.

Step 6: Draw a conclusion
After the experiment, scientists look at the results and decide if their hypothesis was correct. This is called drawing a conclusion. If the plant in sunlight grew faster, then the scientist’s hypothesis was right. If not, they might decide their hypothesis was wrong and think about why. Either way, they learn something new!

Step 7: Share the results
Finally, scientists share their findings with others. They might write a report, give a talk, or even publish an article. Sharing results helps other scientists learn, too, and it allows them to do their own experiments based on what was discovered. In science, sharing is important because it helps everyone understand the world better.

Why the scientific method matters

The scientific method is important because it helps scientists (and even us!) make discoveries that are fair and correct. By following these steps, we can understand why things happen, solve problems, and even invent new things. The scientific method helps us all become better learners and thinkers. So, what kind of discoveries will you make?

Reflection questions

• What question would you like to answer by using the scientific method? Why?
• Why do you think it’s important for scientists to record their observations carefully?
• Imagine you have to test if different types of soil affect how fast a plant grows. What would your hypothesis be, and how would you set up an experiment to test it?
• How might sharing scientific discoveries help people in everyday life?

Preparing for the science test on ACT

Following are some tips and strategies for doing well on the science portion of the ACT test. This advice comes directly from several teachers, as well as a number of students and former students who have taken the ACT test in recent years.

The science portion of the ACT comprises a total of 40 questions, and you have a time limit of 35 minutes. According to this page on KapTest.com, "The ACT Science test will contain 7 passages...The passages fall into three categories: Data Representation, Research Summaries and Conflicting Viewpoints."

For starters, think of the science portion as being more of a reading comprehension and skills-based test, rather than as a science content test. Chances are you probably never learned or will remember half of the actual content (the various scientific vocabulary, concepts, ideas, etc.), if not more. We already know that, so don't let that fact spoil your confidence going into the test. But if you can read, and if you can analyze and draw conclusions from data presented to you at a basic level, you can, and you will, do well on the science portion of the test.

Now that we know to think of the science portion as more of a reading comprehension and skills-based exam rather than as a test identifying your knowledge of actual science content, and now that we've established the fact that you've never learned a lot of the science anyway, it's time to discuss skipping around in the test as a time-saving strategy. Don't just start answering the questions in order. This will most likely hurt you.

As soon as the test begins, take a little time to have a look around. This will help you settle in and get a general lay of the land. You'll want to avoid the conflicting viewpoints questions (they're arguably the most difficult and time-consuming) and instead go straight for the data representation questions. Take a good look at the data (the various charts, graphs, tables, diagrams, etc.) first, before even looking at the questions. Do you spot any easily-recognizable trends in the data right off the bat? Are numbers climbing up? Are they going down? Anything else you spot? Looking at the data first will ultimately help you save time and answer these questions with greater ease.

After you've gotten through the data representation section, you'll next want to tackle the research summaries questions. Save the conflicting viewpoints questions for last.

Some general guidelines and final thoughts here: As with any portion of the ACT test, remember not to take too long on any one question. You don't have time for that. Don't hesitate to guess with the "letter of the day method" if you need to, and just move on. Tying into that point as another general rule of thumb, go through the questions you're most familiar or comfortable with first. You can save the others for later. Don't be afraid to skip around. Like we said earlier, answering the questions in the order given will most likely end up working against you. Finally, remember what we established earlier - don't look at this test as being a science test. It's a reading and skills-based test. If you can read, and if you can answer questions based off of data that is being presented to you, you can, and you will, do well. Many of the answers in this test are right in front of you. You don't have to be familiar with the actual science content. In fact, we know you won't be.

Now go get 'em!

Visit this page for more ACT test strategies and learning resources.

Do you have any thoughts or observations about the ACT science test? Feel free to share your advice and strategies in the comments section below. We'd love to hear and learn from you!