The scientific method New tools are constantly being developed that allow scientific inquiry
to explore questions in increasingly deeper levels. Molecular analysis, DNA,spectroscopy, and chlorophyll florescence are all available to the modern researcher,but the basics of the scientific method haven't changed much in the past few hundred years.All scientific investigations begin with conjectures,or predictions,about what one thinks may happen given a certain set of parameters.Better known as the hypothesis,these predic- tions are presented as a statement of fact, then the scientific methods attempts to disprove the hypothesis. For example, let's say you were interested in why success rates of soil- applied imidacloprid insecticide treatments for emerald ash borer appear to be inversely related to the size of the ash tree. Put another way, the
bigger the tree, the higher the chance the insecticide will not prevent the tree from dying from EAB, especially for trees above 15 inches in diameter.The reasons could be related to the dosage rate the treatment was applied at,where the treatment was applied (at the base of the tree or in a grid pattern within the dripline of the tree),or when the treat- ment was applied (spring, summer or fall).How would you test this, using the scientific method? First,you have to ask a question.In this case,the question is "why do
failure rates of soil-applied imidacloprid increase as the size of the tree increases?" Next, you need to state a hypothesis.The scientific method can only test one hypothesis at a time,so from the possibilities we men- tioned above (dosage rates,treatment placement,or timing) settle in on the one you wish to test for.This is where a literature review of previously
Site Map of Hazel Crest research trials.
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