When taking the science subject of the GED,
you'll be using the scientific method for
some of the questions. Here's how it works.
The scientific method helps you put together
experiments, use data to find conclusions
and interpret them. The scientific method
is a step-by-step process for which we'll
show a more detailed example in a bit. First,
observe. Use your senses and take notes about
the situation. Then ask a question about the
problem at hand. After that, form a hypothesis.
A hypothesis is a potential explanation to
your question. Predict what the hypothesis
may lead to and conduct an experiment to test
it out. Analyze the data to draw a conclusion
from your findings. Share your results. Here's
an example of the scientific method in action.
Imagine you're about to drive somewhere but
when you try to start your car nothing happens.
That's the observation. Then you ask yourself,
how can I solve this problem? Here's a potential
hypothesis. There's something wrong with the
car. Predict more specifics: dead battery,
ignition issue, empty gas tank. Next test
your predictions. Turn on the headlights,
check spark plug wires, dip a stick into the
gas tank. Analyze your results. Headlights
work, strong ignition spark, no gas on the
dipstick even though the gas gauge reads half
full. Then draw a conclusion. The car is out
of gas. It's the gauge was showing an inaccurate
gas level. Oh what do you know? In many cases
you may want to communicate your conclusion
to others. Here it would suffice to take charge
of the solution to fill up the gas tank. You
may need to share your results with a friend
or roadside service to help you get some gas
and eventually get the gas gauge fixed. Learn
more about what's on the science section of
the GED test in the overview video linked
below.
