Scientists are very curious people. They want to know how things work. By understanding how things work they can solve many problems. Just think of a car mechanic. Car mechanics understand the engine of a car. By understanding how the engine works they can fix your car when it does not run right. Mechanics are the scientists of car engines. doctors are the scientists of the human body. Can you think of any other kinds of scientists?

Here is an example of how the scientific method works:

 ·        You wake up one morning and you have a sore throat. You do not feel sick so you do not know what is causing your throat to hurt.

Identify the problem – Your throat hurts and you do not know why.

 ·        That afternoon you go to the doctor. You tell her all of the food and drink that you have put down your throat. You tell her what time you went to bed. You try and think of anyone with whom you have had close contact. The doctor looks down your throat and takes your temperature. You have just Gathered evidence.

 ·        The doctor makes a hypothesis that you have strep throat.

 ·        The doctor takes a throat culture from your throat to test her hypothesis in an experiment.

 ·        In her experiment she gently rubs  her petri dish with your throat culture. She marks this dish “Experimental”. This experimental dish is also known as the variable. She has another petri dish with a sample of the organism known to cause strep throat. This sample is called the control.

 ·        The doctor says that she will call you in 24 hours with the results. When she calls you she reports that you do not have strep throat. Another kind of bacterium has caused your throat to be sore. Thus, she has rejected her original hypothesis. Now she takes all the information that she gathered from you and records it into her note book. She has noticed other patients with similar sore throats and wants to investigate how people are contracting this bacterium. She will do more research, make a new hypothesis, and conduct more experiments.