The Scientific Method

Our “Mission Statement” is further defined per the “Scientific Method”. (2015)

The scientific method is the process by which researchers and scientists, collectively and over time, endeavor to construct an accurate–that is, reliable, consistent, and non-arbitrary–representation of the physical (universe) world. Science that does not comply with this process is not real science. Recognizing that personal and cultural beliefs influence both our perceptions and our interpretations of natural phenomena, we aim through the use of standard procedures and criteria to minimize those influences when developing a theory. In summary, the “scientific method” attempts to minimize the influence of bias or prejudice in the experimenter when testing a hypothesis or a theory.

Steps in the Scientific Method¹

1. Observation and description of a phenomenon or group of phenomena.
2. Formulation of a hypothesis to explain the phenomena. In physics, the hypothesis often takes the form of a causal mechanism or a mathematical relation.
3. Use of the hypothesis to predict the existence of other phenomena, or to predict quantitatively the results of new observations.
4. Performance of experimental tests of the predictions by several independent experimenters and properly performed experiments.

If the experiments bear out the hypothesis, then it may come to be regarded as a “theory” or “law” of nature. If the experiments do not bear out the hypothesis, then it must be rejected or modified. What is key in the description of the scientific method just given is the predictive power (the ability to get more out of the theory than you put in)² of the hypothesis or theory, as tested by experiment. It is often said in science that theories can never be proved, only disproved. There is always the possibility that a new observation or experiment will conflict with a long-standing theory.

References

1. Prof. Frank Wolfs, University of Rochester, NY.
2. Barrow, John. Theories of Everything (Oxford Univ. Press, 1991).