The Scientific Method in Daily Life
he Scientific Method in Daily Life
Scientific Discovery is based upon the use of the Scientific Method. This is a very structured, logical method to approach any problem – not just in science. You may think that the use of the Scientific Method is restricted to scientists, but you would be mistaken! We all use the scientific method every day in our normal lives, but you may not realize it! Review the description of the Scientific Method in your required Readings this week. Think about how you may use this logical process to solve problems in your daily life.
After reviewing the Scientific Method, discuss how you would use the scientific method in the following two scenarios.
- Make sure to apply and describe how you use all of the steps in the scientific method: observe a situation, generate a hypothesis, perform an experiment, collect and analyze data, and communicate your results.
- Discuss how you use this method in your daily life, providing specific examples. For instance, how would you use the scientific method if you find that your car will not start or your computer is not connected to the internet? Try to use other examples not given.
- Discuss how you may use this method in your future career.
Discussion Requirements
Participating in discussion does not necessarily mean posting dozens of times or showing everyone what you know or that you have studied all night. Good discussion participation involves people trying to build on comments from others, and on showing appreciation for others’ contributions. Discussion also involves inviting others to say more about what they are thinking. Below are some specific examples of strong participation:
- Ask a question or make a comment showing that you are interested in another person’s post and encouraging him or her to elaborate.
- Post a resource (a reading, web link, video, quote, etc.) not covered in the syllabus but adding new information or valuable perspectives to the learning.
- Make a comment underscoring the link between two people’s posts and make this link explicit in your comment.
