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How the Scientific Method Works: An In-Depth Look

Though scientific research encompasses a broad spectrum of research, these experiments all follow the same scientific method.

ByConor Feehly
(Credit:photobyphotoboy/Shutterstock)

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What, exactly, is science? It's something people in lab coats do, right? Science has been a potent tool, providing us with technology we once never dreamt possible. It has also helped us answer questions that have sat dormant in the human psyche for millennia.

The history of science, however, is filled with revolutions or modifications of accepted theory. Newton described gravity as an immutable background entity, an ever-present force that permeated the cosmos.

That was until Einstein came along with general relativity and described how gravity emerged out of the interaction between mass and the fabric of spacetime. Scientists are constantly seeking a deeper explanation of reality, and so scientists have to be ready for a better theory or model to come along and replace it.

The journey with which scientific discovery and change occurs has been distilled into what is referred to as the scientific method.

The scientific method ...

  • Conor Feehly

    Conor Feehly is New Zealand-based science writer who covers a wide range of topics, including astronomy and neuroscience, with an eye for research at the intersection of science and philosophy. He received a masters in science communication degree from the University of Otago. Conor is a regular contributor to Discover Magazine, with his work also appearing in New Scientist, Nautilus Magazine, Live Science, and New Humanist among others.

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