Scientific Method

The scientific method approaches problems systematically and rationally.

Let's use it to perform an experiment and understand why some rose plants in your backyard are healthy while others are not.

First, list possible causes of the growth difference, such as pests, soil conditions, water availability, and sunlight.

Upon closer observation, you notice that both groups have no pests and have identical soil types and water availability.

Based on this observation, you can formulate the hypothesis: a lack of sunlight causes the rose plants to be short and weak.

Now, it's time to test. For a few weeks, move a few short plants into the sunlight and leave the rest in their original place; we call this the control group. Every week, measure the height of the plant and the number of leaves and flowers.

Record this data in a table and compare the data from control plants.

The results show that the plants moved to sunlight, grew taller, and started to bloom, while control plants remained weak. This confirms the hypothesis that sunlight was the missing factor for healthy growth.