Many are overwhelmed by the prospects of understanding math because of its terminologies and formulas such as with Algebra. But unknown to those same people who are confused about the matter, they use Algebra while functioning through their lives every day. Oh really…

Let us take for example, you have $1.00 and you want to buy a piece of candy at a store. When you purchase it, the cashier hands you back 50¢ in change. How much did the candy cost you?

Though you didn't consider it, this is a simple algebraic equation. Replacing the letter "c" for candy you can look at this as an equation:

$1.00 - c = $0.50

Replacing "c" for candy is what is called in math a "variable". Can you see how you may use Algebra and you didn't realize you were?

Let's try another example…

One of your co-workers gives you $8.00 and another co-worker gives you some money to buy them lunch, when you count the total money it is $17.00. How much did the second co-worker give you?

You probably figured this out without even the use of paper and pencil, yet this too Algebra. Simplifying the use of the word co-worker and substituting it with the variable "w", the equation is:

$8.00 + w = $17.00

Can you imagine how many algebraic equations you work out in your head whenever you buy groceries at a supermarket or shop at a mall. The reality is you don't think about these activities as equations;; in fact you typically don't put much thought into making these evaluations at all.

Please note the above examples are illustrations of simple algebra, but they are algebra nonetheless. Hopefully, you can see this is not as confusing as you may have first believed.

Of course I must advise, if you desire to continue the study of mathematics, the journey would eventually lead you to more intense math principles such as Calculus, which is used to help measure those distant planets, genetic codes, and other complicated equations.

Here are the specific steps in the scientific method:

It is obvious that the testing of the hypothesis is the most essential step of the scientific method. The testing can be done just by searching for a proof much like the way a detective searches for evidence. But, most questions that scientists ask require an experiment. So, how does one conduct an experiment?

In an experiment, a scientist chooses a group of things, which are called subjects. Each subject is placed in an artificial situation (usually in a laboratory). All conditions are the same for each subject except for two conditions, which are called the variables. One variable is intentionally varied in each subject (independent variable) to see the effect on the other variable (dependent variable). Sometimes, a scientist needs one subject to be exposed to natural conditions, which is then called the control.

It is known that a good experiment should meet the following requirements:

1. The subjects need to be similar
2. There should be more than one subject in each group
3. All the conditions of the experiment should be the same, except the two variables being tested
4. In any case possible, there should be a control group
5. The results should be reproducible

Example:

Let’s say a farmer wanted to determine which among fertilizers A, B and C is best in causing growth in crops. After gathering information about the manufacturers as well as the components of the fertilizer, he made a hypothesis. His hypothesis was that, fertilizer B is the best. He decided then to check his hypothesis by doing an experiment.

First, he chose his subjects. Maybe one of his crops (let’s say mongo plants). He planted mongo plants in four separate pots. One group was fertilized with fertilizer A, another with B, another with C and the last one did not have any fertilizer (the control). All of the pots had to be exposed to the same conditions – amount of water sprinkled, exposure to sunlight and even amount and type of soil. This to make sure that the difference in growth of the plants will only be a result of the fertilizers.

After recording the daily growth of the mongo plants, he organized and analyzed the results. He found out that those with fertilizer A had the greatest growth and had healthier leaves. He then performed the experiment all over again and found the same. Therefore he concluded that fertilizer A is the best.

Questions:

1. What is the problem or question?
   a. Which fertilizer is best in promoting growth of crops?
2. What was the hypothesis?
   a. Fertilizer B is the best for the growth of crops.
3. In the experiment itself, what were the subjects?
   a. Mongo plants
4. What was the independent variable?
   a. Type of fertilizer
5. What was the dependent variable?
   a. Growth of mongo plants
6. What was the control?
   a. The pot without a fertilizer

In the above example, had the farmer/scientist used different soil type for each pot, will it affect his conclusion? Yes, it will. In fact, it will make his conclusion erroneous. So, a scientist must make sure that the requirements of a good experiment are followed in order to get a reliable conclusion – one that is free from error. The most common causes of error in an experiment are:

1. There is not enough subjects
2. The subjects were not similar
3. Conditions of the experiment were not kept the same
4. The experiment was not reproduced

For scientists, a conclusion derived from experimental investigation and interrelated with available facts is still just an idea or possible explanation or what scientists call as scientific theory. It is still subject for further investigation by other scientists. Once a theory has been tested over and over again and was never contradicted, that theory becomes a law.