Unlike animals and plants, normal human beings are endowed with a predisposition that incessantly seeks to observe, notice, and question the things that affect our daily experiences. Individuals, especially in modern times, are increasingly engaging in a voyage of discovery as to why and how occurrences and phenomena happen the way they do. During the early days, people had resigned to fate and other factors such as religious indoctrination, cultural dogmas, and aristocracy to explain their experiences in life (Carter, 2004). But as life progressed, individuals started developing theories and suggestions based on some form of rational thinking. This marked the birth of the scientific method. This paper purposes to use the scientific method to conduct a biological experiment aimed at validating the proposition that plants must indeed respond to light for them to meet their food requirements.
The scientific method refers to a collection of techniques that can be effectively used to explore and investigate the observations of a particular occurrence to be able to answer questions and acquire new knowledge about the phenomenon (“The Scientific Method,” 2009). In most fields, the scientific method is used to bring into light the cause and effect relationships experienced in nature. The method can be divided into five broader components that include observation and questioning, hypothesis development, prediction, testing, and conclusions. To be able to fully utilize the scientific method, experiments must be designed in such a way that noted changes in one variable will ultimately trigger other variables to change in a predictable manner (Gauch, 2003).
Observation is the foremost step in conducting an experiment that aims at using the scientific method to generate answers about a phenomenon. To come up with the law of gravitation, physicist Isaac Newton had to first observe an apple falling from a tree, and ponder why it failed to go upwards instead. In my experiment, I have been confronted by a group of children who had earlier observed the abnormal growth exhibited by indoor plants. The children cannot understand why the seedlings are bending towards a nearby window. According to Dawson (2009), researchers should use this stage to conduct extensive research about the phenomena in the hope of understanding all the issues involved. Information can be collected from personal experiences, journals, books, newspaper readings, and the internet.
Developing a concise and well-understood hypothesis forms the second phase of the scientific method. A hypothesis can simply be defined as a testable justification for what has already been observed. In formulating an effective hypothesis, scientists must always strive to come up with initial suggestions aimed at explaining the causes of the noted observations (Carter, 2004). My hypothesis for the experiment is that the plants are bending towards the window since they need light to meet their food requirements. In this stage of the scientific method, this hypothesis can only be looked at as a possible cause. But still, it is important to include some well-researched arguments to support the hypothesis. In my experiment, I have based my hypothesis on the fact that plants require sunshine in a normal environment to make food through a process known as photosynthesis. It is, therefore, logical to argue that more sunshine means more nourishment for the plants (“Photosynthesis,” 2007).
It should be noted that a hypothesis should never be presented in a way that heralds ambiguity and loss of direction. It should never be a general statement. In this experiment, I have proposed a hypothesis that is greatly based on the extensive information that I have researched about the relationship between plants and sunshine. The proposed hypothesis is testable by subjecting it to vigorous experimentation and logical thinking. At the end of the experiment, this hypothesis can either be proved right or wrong (Dawson, 2009).
The next stage in the scientific method entails the objective use of deductive interpretation to test the experiment’s hypothesis. This is the prediction stage of the scientific method. Any type of reasoning in this stage must flow from general topics to specific issues under scrutiny (Carter, 2004). In real-life situations, the hypothesis and prediction must never be changed upon their development even if the results of the study reveal that they are wrong (Dawson, 2009). In my experiment, I should be able to see a remarkable change in leaf color, length and structure of the stem, and direction of growth if it is indeed true that plants react to sunshine. Such extrapolations will generally strengthen my hypothesis if they are proved to be true upon completion of the experiment. If ill use a control group of other plants growing in normal circumstances, I would also predict that such plants will be healthier than the plants grown indoors.
The next major step is the experiment itself. This is where the hypothesis gets to be tested. In simple terms, an experiment can be defined as a technique that is designed to evaluate if the ideas and arguments about the topic of interest are right or wrong. As such, the experiment must accurately be able to test the hypothesis and arising predictions (Dawson, 2009). The hypothesis is said to have been supported if the anticipated results are obtained. Conventional techniques in scientific methods demand that an experimenter must involve two simultaneous groups – controlled and experimental – to effectively compare and contrast the observations between groups. To achieve objective results, the two groups must be treated in equal terms except for the variable that is being measured (Carter, 2004).
In my experiment, some six plants have been grown in an enclosed structure and under the same conditions. Three of these plants are then introduced to some light that shines from the left while the other three are introduced to some light that shines from the right. All the other conditions are kept constant. In scientific methods, these two groups are referred to as experimental groups. My hypothesis is proved after some weeks when those plants with light introduced from the left start to bend leftwards. The others with some light introduced from the right also tend to bend towards the source of light. The sources of light – either left or right – do not affect the length of stems since all plants increase in length in just about the same proportions. This disapproves one prediction about the length of the stems. Another prediction about a change in leaf color is also disapproved since all the plants retain green leaves. However, the leaves in both groups turn directly towards the sources of light. This proves my hypothesis beyond any reasonable doubt (Carter, 2004).
The last stage in the scientific method is the conclusion. This part summarizes all valuable results that the experiment has been able to convey. These results should always be correlated with the initial hypothesis (Dawson, 2009). The results from my experiment support my hypothesis that plants react to light since they need it to process their food. Afterward, the experimenter can make some recommendations and suggest areas that may need further research. When all the above is followed, the scientific method fulfills its core objective of coming up with solutions to the many questions that affect mankind.
References
Carter, J.S. (2004). The scientific method. Web.
Dawson, V. (2009). Understanding and using scientific method.
Gauch, H.C. (2003). Scientific method in practice. Cambridge University Press. ISBN:9780521017084
“Photosynthesis.” (2007). Web.