As we know, science is a part of all of us. Therefore, scientific thinking isn’t just for scientists! There is not much difference between the way we make sense of the world and the way scientists do. In both instances, many things affect what our conclusions will be. How you feel, for instance, may depend on how much sleep you got last night. If you are busy watching TV, you are less likely to notice that someone left the refrigerator door open in the kitchen. If you are in a hurry, you are less likely to notice that you didn’t clean up a mess before rushing out the door. An endless number of situations or factors may influence what you notice or what you decide to do.
Scientists, however, follow a more formal procedure when solving problems and drawing conclusions--the scientific method. A scientist is usually trying to determine the effect of a experiment to test the effect of a particular thing on something else. A controlled experiment attempts to test only one factor at a time.
For example, if a scientist wanted to know if Brand A bug spray was better than Brand B, she would conduct a controlled experiment. In this experiment, she would be testing one factor: the brand of bug spray being used. All other variables, or factors, would be kept the same--like the number of mosquitos in the room, the person getting bitten, or anything else that might be in the environment around the experiment. This way, the scientist can really narrow down which bug spray works better in preventing bites. As you can see, scientific thinking attempts to isolate the cause and the effect happening within an experience.
Reflection
Question
Dana is trying to test whether the food coloring mixes quicker in hot water or in cold water. What should be the one factor that Dana changes within this experiment?
Dana should change the temperature of the water (one hot and one cold). All other factors should remain the same.
