Science Investigation & Reasoning
Presentation
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Science
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5th Grade
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Practice Problem
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Hard
+19
Standards-aligned
ELIZABETH KERLEY
Used 2+ times
FREE Resource
1 Slide • 28 Questions
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1 Scientists ask questions about the natural world. When scientists have questions, they gather information to try to find an answer. When scientists find an answer, they use the scientific method. Scientific method is also called scientific inquiry or investigation.
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Scientific investigation is the process scientists use to find answers about the natural world. Science is the area of study that seeks to find answers about the natural world.
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2 There are several steps in a scientific investigation. The table shows the different steps in a typical scientific investigation.
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4 A descriptive investigation begins with a scientific question. Not every question is scientific. For example, you might wonder about apples by asking, “Which type of apple is the best?” This is not a scientific question. Some people might think yellow apples taste best, while other might think red apples taste best. Not everyone will agree on which type of apple tastes best.
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5 A scientific question about an apple might be, “What makes up a red apple?” You do not make a hypothesis, since you just want to know what makes up a red apple.
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Your investigation could be cutting open the apple and writing notes to describe the apple’s structure. You might even draw a picture showing the different parts of an apple, such as seeds, fruit, skin, and stem. Everyone can agree that a red apple is made of seeds, skin, fruit, and a stem.
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6 Descriptive investigations often involve measurements. Measurements include weight, mass, length, time, and temperature.
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You might want to know the temperature outside. You can measure this with a thermometer. You might wonder how long it takes for a pot of water to boil on the stove. You can measure the time it takes using a timing device.
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7 An investigation used to find the cause of an event is called an experimental investigation. It begins with a scientist asking questions. A scientist observes events in the natural world and asks questions about the events.
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An observation is a way to gather information using your senses. After observing and asking questions, a scientist might predict what the thinks will happen. A prediction is a statement of what a scientists things will happen based on an observation.
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8 Suppose you live near an ocean. You boil water from time to time for cooking. Once week you go on a camping trip in the mountains. When you boil water on your camping trip, the water seems to start to boil sooner in the mountains than on the coastline.
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You wonder why it would boil sooner in the mountains than on the coastline. You realize that there is less air pressure in the higher mountains. You think that this is the cause, so you predict that the higher up you go, the less time it will take for the water to start boiling.
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9 You must perform an experiment to find out if your prediction is true. You form a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a statement or question that can be tested by an experiment.
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An experiment is a set of steps used to test a hypothesis. Your hypothesis might be: The lower the air pressure, the lower the boiling point of water.
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10 Next, you must plan an experiment to test your hypothesis. You choose the tools you will need, such as water, a beaker, a thermometer, and a hot plate.
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You are able to use a special room at a college for your experiment. The air pressure in the room can be changed using air pumps and fans.
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11 During experiments, scientists work with variables. A variable is a condition that changed in an experiment. Usually, only one variable is tested during an experiment. The variable for your experiment is the amount of air pressure.
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A scientists wants some variables to remain the same. A control, or constant, is a condition in an experiment that does not change. For your experiment, the water you use will be a control. You will use water from the same source.
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12 During the experiment, you will change the air pressure of the room. Air pressure can be expressed in units called bars. One bar is about the air pressure at sea level. You will boil water at each of the air pressures. Air pressure is measured using a barometer
(bar-o-meter).
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The starting temperature of the water will be the same for each level or air pressure. You will measure the temperature of the water when it begins to boil and record the temperature.
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You will then lower the air pressure in the room and boil a new sample of water and record the temperature again. You can repeat these steps until you have several temperatures recorded.
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13 After the experiment, you will organize the data. Data is the information scientist get by observing or experimenting. Scientists analyze data to find the results of an experiment. You can analyze the data and explain the results to see if the data supports your hypothesis.
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To help make sure that the results of the experiment are accurate and reliable, more than one experiment should be completed. As more experiments are done, the results become more reliable.
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14 Many types of data include numbers and units. Such data may include measurements, such as time, length, volume, or distance.
15 One way to organize your data is to record it in a table.
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16 Another way to display your data is in a bar graph. A bar graph uses bars of different lengths to compare data. A bar graph displays quantitative data. This is information made of numbers. This type of data usually comes from measurements. Temperatures, lengths, heights, and masses all are quantitative data.
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17 Once you’ve organized your data, you can analyze it. Your hypothesis is: The lower the air pressure, the lower the boiling point of water. Does the information you gathered support your hypothesis? It appears that it does. You may make an inference from the data. You can repeat this experiment to validate your data.
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18 After experiments are performed to find the answer to a hypothesis, a scientist may make a conclusion. A conclusion is an explanation for a hypothesis based on observations and experiments.
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19 When you are done with your experiment, you share the results with others. You could also write a report about your experiment. You should explain your hypothesis and the steps you took during the experiment. That way, others can repeat your experiment to find out if your conclusion makes sense.
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