A student wants to know which part of his local beach contains the most turtle nests during nesting season. He researches turtle
nesting, makes a prediction to investigate based on his research and observations, and plans his experiment. He performs the experiment, and once his experiment is completed, he writes down his data and ends his study. What part of the scientific method is he missing from this investigation?
When experiments are performed they follow a logical sequence that ensures the problem is adequately analysed, solutions obtained, and findings recorded for future use.
The steps of experimentation includes:
- Ask a question
- Do background research
- Construct a hypothesis or predict results
- Conduct experiments
- Analyze data and conclusion.
In the given scenario the student researches turtle nesting, makes a prediction to investigate based on his research and observations, performs the experiment, and writes down his data and ends his study.
He failed to analyse the data and draw conclusions from the experiment.
This is an important final step that provides an answer to the problem. It is recorded so that the conclusion can be used in the future by others
While you might think that the correct answer would be the ancient Egyptians, this is actually not the case. In fact, the ancient Egyptians did add a lot of novelties here and made the process a very normal and interesting thing, the first real mummies were found in different South American cultures, predating the mummies of Egypt.
