Scientific Method
A problem is a situation that seems to be missing some information.
A chemists approach to problem solving involves a step-by-step method called the scientific method. Looking for patterns, making predictions and testing results as well as analyzing data are all parts of the approach.
- Stating the Problem - Identifying or knowing what you want to investigate or study.
- Gathering Information on the Problem - Collecting important data or information through observations.
- Forming Hypothesis - Hypothesis is an educated guess. Forming this would help you find out what the answer to your problem might be.
- Performing Experiments to Test Hypothesis - Designing and carrying out an experiment to test your hypothesis. Examine everything you can. The smallest detail can sometimes be the most significant. An experiment is an organized procedure for testing a hypothesis.
- Recording and Analyzing Data - Interpreting and evaluating the information gathered. Do calculations if needed to come up with your conclusion.
- Stating a Conclusion - Answers the problem stated. If the problem is still unsolved, try a new approach or perform another experiment. Repeat the steps from the beginning until a solution may become clear.
Chemistry is an experimental and a quantitative science. The development of its principles is based on carefully designed experiments carried out under controlled conditions. Chemists run an experiment setup and a control setup to make sure the results of the experiment were caused by the variable factors and not hidden factors.
"... The results of an experiment can never uniquely identify the explanation. They can only split the range of available theories into two groups, those that are consistent with the results and those that aren't."
Read about How Chemistry all began
