The Scientific Method

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The Scientific Method

• Mostafa Radwan
• School of Computer Science
• Telecommunications, and
• Information Systems

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Agenda

• What is the Scientific Method ?
• How it works ?
• A practical example
• How to apply the Scientific Method in CS ?
• A classroom activity ?
• Questions

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What is the Scientific Method ?

• The scientific method is the process by which
  scientists, collectively and over
• time, endeavor to construct an accurate
  (that is, reliable, consistent and non-arbitrary)
  representation of the world - Frank Wolfs,
  University of Rochester
• The method used to justify scientific knowledge,
  and thus make it reliable, is called the
  scientific method - Steven D. Schafersman,
  University of Miami
• Scientific method is a body of techniques for
  investigating phenomena and acquiring new
  knowledge, as well as for correcting and
  integrating previous knowledge. It is based on
  gathering observable, empirical, measurable
  evidence, subject to specific principles of
  reasoning. - Wikipedia

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How it Works ?
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Step 1 Observation

• Ask Questions ( Passion )
• Gather information (background research)
• Examples
• -The faces of the moon.
• -The life cycle of a virus/bacteria

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Step 2 Hypothesis

• An educated guess
• State purpose
• Identify variables
• Make sure thats testable and repeatable
• Examples
• -Rotten meat does not turn into flies. Only
  flies can make more flies.
• -If a plant receives fertilizer, then it will
  grow to be bigger than a plant that does not
  receive fertilizer.
• -Humans are the only intelligent life in the
  Universe.

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Step 3 Experiment

• Design experiment to test hypothesis
• Be sure to have control
• Check thats reproducible
• Perform experiment
• Examples
• - G1 rotten meat , G2 flies
• - G1 fertilized plants , G2unfertilized plants

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Step 4 Conclusion

• Record observations and data
• raw data ? calculations ? results
• Draw conclusions
• Try to answer the question/related questions
• Re (do) more experiments (maybe)
• Examples
• - It turns out that only flies can make more flies

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A Practical Example Sowing Seeds in a Magnetic
Field

• Lets listen carefully
• Whats the problem ?
• Whats the hypothesis ?
• Whats the experiment ?
• What are the results ?
• Whats the conclusion ?

The seeds of flax plants
This plant originally sprouted with the pot
upright and was later turned on its side. The new
stem growth curved to re-align with gravity
The wedge-shaped ferromagnet on the left focuses
the magnetic field lines
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How to apply the Scientific Method in CS ?

• What is CS ?
• -Computer Science is the study of phenomena
  related to computers, Newell, Perlis and
  Simon 1967
• -Computer Science is the study of information
  structures,
• Wegner, 1968,
• -Computer Science is the study and management of
  complexity,
• Dijkstra, 1969

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How to apply the Scientific Method in CS ?
(contd)

• Sub-areas of CS

Intelligent Systems
Discrete Structures
Programming Fundamentals
Algorithms and Complexity
Computational Science and Numerical Methods
Operating Systems
Programming Languages
Architecture and Organization
Software Engineering
Information Management
Net-Centric Computing
What is science? One possible view.
Social and Professional Issues
Graphics and Visual Computing
Human-Computer Interaction
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How to apply the Scientific Method in CS ?
(contd)

• So, Whats unique in CS ?
• - CS is a young field time will tell.
• - Scientific P.O.V Theoretical CS, Algorithms,
  Simulation.
• - Engineering P.O.V Software Engineering
• - The computer is not a focus of
  investigation
• we use the computer as a tool thats
  always capable of changing
• in order to accommodate even more
  powerful theoretical concepts.

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A classroom activity ?

• Read the handout questions
• I will chose a classmate to answer a question
• He/she has to answer the question and chose
  another and pass it.
• Ask for your chocolate !!

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Questions
?????