The Scientific Method

Developer

Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Lord Chancellor of England, is usually considered to be the man primarily responsible for the formulation and establishment of the scientific method. Francis Bacon outlined a new system of logic to improve upon the old philosophical process of syllogism.

Definition

The scientific method is the process by which scientists, collectively and over time, endeavor to construct an accurate (that is, reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary) representation of the world.

 The scientific method has four steps:

1. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena.

2. Formulation of a hypothesis to explain the phenomena. In physics, the hypothesis often takes the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation.

3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations.

4. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experimenters and properly performed experiments.

Disadvantages:

·         In a field where there is active experimentation and open communication among members of the scientific community, the biases of individuals or groups may cancel out, because experimental tests are repeated by different scientists who may have different biases.

·         Sometimes, however, a scientist may have a strong belief that the hypothesis is true (or false), or feels internal or external pressure to get a specific result.

·         Over a period spanning a variety of experimental tests (usually at least several years), a consensus develops in the community as to which experimental results have stood the test of time.

Advantages:

·         While the scientific method is necessary in developing scientific knowledge, it is also useful in everyday problem-solving.

·         The scientific method attempts to minimize the influence of bias or prejudice in the experimenter when testing a hypothesis or a theory.

·         The scientific method works best in situations where one can isolate the phenomenon of interest, by eliminating or accounting for extraneous factors, and where one can repeatedly test the system under study after making limited, controlled changes in it.

Implications:

In the Library Media Center, the scientific method can be used to assess the Library Media staff by surveying the teachers and gathering facts about how often the Media Specialist and staff assist teachers in finding resources.  This survey will clearly and carefully outline these steps to be taken in arriving at a decision:

•      Defining the problem.
•      Identifying and stating the assumptions.
•     Breaking the problem down into its component facets.
•   Assembling all the pertinent facts available.
•  Collecting and analyzing facts not already in hand, but needed.
•  Evaluating and appraising the facts and their relation to the problem.
•  Constructing a hypothesis regarding the best solution.
•  Testing the hypothesis in the light of various aspects of the problem and the pertinent facts.
•  Final analyzing and the reaching of a conclusion.

The scientific method aids the Library staff by refining and clarifying the problem.  The use of the scientific method can assist the Library staff in strengthening morale. If it is known that a given matter has been studied objectively, and that pertinent facts have been collected and analyzed, a decision is often recognize as applicable.

Weblinks:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080623031859AAO1t6J

http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/phy_labs/appendixe/appendixe.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_method

http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_scientific_method.shtmlhttp://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_scientific_method.shtml

http://biology.clc.uc.edu/Courses/bio104/sci_meth.htm