"The scientific method is an empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has characterized the development of science since at least the 17th century."
A systematic approach to scientific inquiry that involves forming hypotheses, testing them through observation and experimentation, and making conclusions based on the results.
The Scientific Method: The process of observation, hypothesis generation, experimentation, data analysis, and conclusion that is used to systematically investigate natural phenomena.
The Scientific Revolution: The period of time from the 16th to 18th century that saw a radical shift from traditional ways of thinking and pursuing knowledge to the application of empirical methods and logical reasoning in scientific pursuits.
The Role of Observation: The fundamental importance of observation in scientific study as it provides the basis for hypothesis development, experimentation and results analysis.
The Development of the Experimental Method: The emergence of the experimental method as a powerful tool of scientific inquiry that enabled precise measurement, manipulation of variables and repeatability of experiments.
The Role of Mathematics: The increasing role of mathematics in scientific discovery, particularly in the development of new theories, models and data analysis techniques.
Natural Philosophy: The aesthetic, metaphysical and theological aspects of early scientific thought, which were gradually replaced by a more purely empirical and rational approach to scientific investigation.
Technological Advancements: The impact of technological advancements on scientific discovery, particularly in fields such as astronomy and medicine.
The Scientific Method in Practice: The application of the scientific method to specific fields of study, including physics, chemistry, biology, and earth sciences.
Scientific Instruments: The evolution of scientific instruments, such as the microscope, telescope, barometer, thermometer, and pendulum clock, that enabled more precise and accurate measurements.
The Influence of the Scientific Revolution: The profound influence of the scientific revolution on European society and culture, including its impact on the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, and the Industrial Revolution.
Observation: In which a phenomenon or event is noted and studied.
Hypothesis: A tentative explanation of the observation based on prior knowledge or assumptions.
Experimentation: Involving the testing of the hypothesis by designing and conducting experiments.
Analysis: Where the data gathered from the experimentation stage is analyzed and evaluated to arrive at conclusions.
Conclusion: The result or answer arrived at the end of the experimental process, which can be replicated by anyone following the same scientific method.
"since at least the 17th century (with notable practitioners in previous centuries; see the article history of scientific method for additional detail.)"
"It involves careful observation, applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"It involves formulating hypotheses, via induction, based on such observations; the testability of hypotheses, experimental and the measurement-based statistical testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses."
"refinement (or elimination) of the hypotheses based on the experimental findings."
"Although procedures vary from one field of inquiry to another, the underlying process is frequently the same from one field to another."
"The process in the scientific method involves making conjectures (hypothetical explanations), deriving predictions from the hypotheses as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments or empirical observations based on those predictions."
"A scientific hypothesis must be falsifiable, implying that it is possible to identify a possible outcome of an experiment or observation that conflicts with predictions deduced from the hypothesis; otherwise, the hypothesis cannot be meaningfully tested."
"The purpose of an experiment is to determine whether observations agree with or conflict with the expectations deduced from a hypothesis."
"Experiments can take place anywhere from a garage to a remote mountaintop to CERN's Large Hadron Collider."
"Though the scientific method is often presented as a fixed sequence of steps, it represents rather a set of general principles."
"Not all steps take place in every scientific inquiry (nor to the same degree)."
"They are not always in the same order."
"A hypothesis is a conjecture, based on knowledge obtained while seeking answers to the question."
"Scientists then test hypotheses by conducting experiments or studies."
"applying rigorous skepticism about what is observed, given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"given that cognitive assumptions can distort how one interprets the observation."
"the testability of hypotheses, experimental and the measurement-based statistical testing of deductions drawn from the hypotheses."
"...the development of science since at least the 17th century... acquiring knowledge."