The world of science is a fascinating and sometimes confusing one. The scientific method is often called the “gold standard” for determining truth, but what exactly does that mean? How do we know that what we think is true is really true?
The scientific method is a series of steps used to find out information about the world around us. The first step is observation. What you see in your environment has been observed by someone else, and it is recorded in a journal or book. Then, this information is put into a formula to create an equation. The equation is then tested against new information. If it passes the test, then the theory is accepted as true. This is how science works.
Observation: This is where we get our data. This can be something like, “I saw a car on the road today.” Observation is the first step of the scientific method. It is also the basis for all other steps. When we observe something, we are recording what we have seen. We may write down the date and time we saw the thing, the color of the object, and anything else we remember about the object.
Formula: Once we have collected enough data to form an idea about what we have observed, we need to make a formula to describe what we have seen. For example, if we see a car, we might say, “I saw a red car today.” This is our formula. Now we can look at more cars and see if they are red or not. If they are, then we can conclude that red cars are real.
Equation: This is the next step in the scientific method. We take our observations and put them into a mathematical equation. Our equation is like a recipe for a cake. It tells us how many ingredients we need, how long to bake it, and when to take it out of the oven. We can use this equation to see how well our hypothesis was correct. If we see a lot of red cars, then we will probably see more red cars tomorrow.
Test: This is the last step in the scientific method. After we have seen enough evidence to support our hypothesis, we must test it. If we see a lot more red cars tomorrow, then we have proved our hypothesis is right.
Science is an amazing thing. There is no way we would ever have discovered so much without it. The scientific method is the only way we can learn about the world around us.
