What is the importance of each step of the scientific method and why do scientist use this type of reasoning?

Answer 1

There really is no single scientific method, but most people use some or all of the following steps:

1. Ask a question.
"Why won't my car start?"

2. Gather data:
"When I turn the key nothing happens. No sounds or anything"

3. Form a hypothesis
"A dead battery is causing the car not to start"

4. Test your hypothesis
"Took my battery to parts store, they said battery was dead."

5. Form conclusion
"Replaced battery with new, car started. My hypothesis appears to be correct."

Asking questions is important because it is the primary way we begin to gather information about the world. Sometimes just formulating a good question can help you focus efforts in the right direction.

Gathering data is critical. Without data we are driving blind. It should be noted that once intellectuals became serious about gathering data, and were able to do so (telescopes, allowed to), science began to speed up dramatically.

Forming a hypothesis allows us to make sense of the data. Data alone has little meaning. It must be put into context. The hypothesis states clearly the implication of the data.

Testing the hypothesis is perhaps the most difficult part of the method. A good test should be able to conclusively DISPROVE the hypothesis. Proving a hypothesis is much more difficult than disproving it.

If you think about the battery hypothesis, is it possible that the dead battery could be replaced but the car still not start? If two things are wrong, or if someting else is wrong that caused both the dead batter and the car not to start, then my hypothesis is false. So, I work by attempting to reject a hypothesis.

Forming a conclusion is the most delicate part. I recommend not doing it when possible. Simply stating that one is unable to disprove a particular hypothesis should be enough.

I hope this helps. There are other people who can answer it better. I'd look on the web, especially some of the high school science sites do a good job of clarifying it. I'd try harder, but my son is waiting on me to pick him up!

Answer 2

Define the question (make observations so they can know what they're gonna be testing)
Gather information and resources (learn bout what they're test, search for previous experiments and see what was found)
Form hypothesis (have an educated guess of what they think its gonna happen)
Design experiment/Perform experiment and collect data (to know what happens and make discovers or see how it compares to previous experiments. Also write down everything they did to design the experiment so that it can be done again by other scientist..and it can be tested over and over again)
Analyze data (observe their results..see how they compare between one another)
Interpret data and draw conclusions (understand their data..make suggestion for future experiments..publish their data for others to look when performing the same of similar experiments)

They use this method cause its the best way to test something, and this way they're able to learn and understand their world. And because this way they'll be able to test their experiment over and over again, by them and other scientist.

Answer 3

I forgot

mostly its like form a hypothesis, design the experiement, collect data and synthesize it, make the conclusions

if the data don't fit, fudge them anyway, so you can get your PHD , and make sure nobody finds out enough or gets funding to repeat it

Answer 4

You lost me at "what is the importance of each step..." But thanks for the 2 points.

Can't wait to see the other answers...perhaps I'll learns something.