The Scientific Method is an objective means of “figuring things out.” Here’s how it works:

1. You begin by making observations. We do this throughout much of the video.
2. Next, you make a guess (or a “hypothesis”) as to what’s going on.
3. Then, you conduct an experiment to test your hypothesis.
4. You look at the results of the experiment and see if it agrees with the predictions implied in your hypothesis.
5. Finally, you form conclusions about the validity (or lack thereof) of your hypothesis.

Often people arrive at incorrect conclusions because they don’t follow the Scientific Method. Imagine what would happen, for example, if you formed your conclusions at the very beginning, before doing experiments. This may seem silly, but people do this all the time!That’s why we feature the Scientific Method in the video. Specifically, we apply the Scientific Method to the problem of the finding the best “Moment of Inertia” for a pinewood derby race car.