Scientific method 

Interactive lecture
The scientific method is intended for studying phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating existing knowledge.

The scientific method includes four main sequential stages:

  1. Observation of the phenomenon and formulation of the question
  2. Formulating a hypothesis - a potential answer to the given question
  3. Predictions (if the hypothesis is correct, then ...); development of an effective methodology for testing the hypothesis
  4. Hypothesis testing. If the hypothesis is correct, then return to Step 2

The scientific method is the most reliable way to acquire new knowledge, as it is based on measurable evidence.
Scientific articles written using the scientific method are generally the most comprehensible, as they aim to verify one or more clearly formulated hypotheses. The scientific method allows for the planning and execution of well-structured experiments. The best scientific journals often require that submitted articles be written using the scientific method.

Example:

  1. You observe that the yield of the studied reaction is too low (for example, 30%), which is insufficient for your main task. You formulate the question - how can I increase the reaction yield to 95%?
  2. You have analyzed the available publications, theories, and your own experience and propose the following hypothesis - increasing the reaction temperature from 25 to 70 degrees Celsius will increase its yield to 95%
  3. If the hypothesis is correct, then increasing the reaction temperature will lead to an increase in its yield. You are developing an experimental procedure that requires conducting the reaction at temperatures of 25, 50, 70, and 90 degrees Celsius and determining the yield at each temperature. Other reaction conditions (reagent concentrations, reaction time, pressure, volume, light exposure, stirring, etc.) must be kept constant. To obtain reliable and reproducible data, you need to conduct the reaction at each temperature at least 3 times.
  4. You conduct an experiment, calculate the average reaction yield at each temperature, and plot the graph "reaction yield = f (reaction temperature)". Next, you need to determine whether the proposed hypothesis is correct. If possible, you adjust the hypothesis and make another conclusion (for example, the highest reaction yield was achieved at a temperature of 90 degrees Celsius)

This experiment has 3 main groups of variables:

  • independent - reaction temperature
  • dependent - output of the reaction
  • controlled - concentrations of reagents, reaction time, pressure, volume, light availability, stirring, and any other conditions that may affect the reaction yield.

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