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allows other scientists to easily see
the steps taken and reproduce the
experiment themselves if they
want to. The steps of the scientific
method are
1. Make observations
2. Ask a question
3. Research what is already
known about your question
4. Suggest an answer to the Observing the smog in Los Angeles could be the start
question, called a hypothesis of a scientific investigation.
5. Test the hypothesis
6. Analyze the results to see if
Ask a Question
the hypothesis was correct
7. Communicate the results You have seen the smog in Los
Angeles. You have heard people
coughing. Now it’s time to take
Making Observations those observations and use them
The first step in the scientific to help you create a question to be
method is to make an observation. answered. Coughing is associated
An observation is anything with some medical problems,
noticed using the five senses. In including asthma, so perhaps you
the example above about the would ask, “Does living in a city
health risks of smog, you may look with a high level of smog increase
at the sky in a city like Los Angeles the risk of developing asthma?”
and see a great amount of smog.
You might even walk around hear
Research the Topic
people coughing as they go about
their business on the smoggy day. No matter what you are studying,
This may lead you to think that the it is likely someone has studied it
coughing has something to do with before. In the case both of smog
the smog, but this is just an idea and asthma, many people have
you have. We are nowhere near studied it. By doing some
having actual scientific evidence, research, you can learn information
but we are on the way. about your topic. The Internet can
be a great place to do research if
you are careful. The web has
some great information, and it has
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