I remember first learning about the scientific method way back in elementary school. And then I learned it again in junior high. And then again in high school. But it wasn’t until college that the scientific method really sunk in naturally with practice. Now, I use it all the time, and not just for science-related efforts but in my projects as well.
In a nutshell, the scientific method is a process for acquiring new knowledge and investigating concepts. The scientific method roughly involves a series of sequential steps:
- Identify a problem or ask a question
- Form a hypothesis
- Predict an outcome
- Test the hypothesis with an experiment
- Collect and analyze results
To show why this process is important, consider the following.
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My wife sent me a link to a rather disturbing article yesterday. It discussed how a female teenager in Florida was arrested and expelled from her high school for mixing chemicals to an explosive bottle-popping result.
Early reports said that the very small explosion caused no injuries and that the girl merely wanted to see what happened when mixing chemicals as part of a science experiment. Follow-up details made it clear that she was following a friend’s instruction and combined drain cleaner with aluminum foil in a small bottle. This combination creates what is known as a The Works/Drano bottle bomb, but the girl claims she was unaware of what the outcome would be.
If the girl – described by the school’s principal as an excellent student with no malicious intent – had followed the scientific method to satisfy her curiosity, the outcome of this would have been a lot different.
So what does this have to do with tool-related projects? Quite simply put, a lot of accidents and mistakes can be avoided by just thinking things through beforehand. DIYers, as well as professionals, sometimes don’t read instructions, properly research unfamiliar techniques or practices, read safety warnings, or they jump into things too quickly.
By no means am I flawless. Quite the contrary – I have made a LOT of mistakes, and will probably make a lot more. But most of the avoidable ones are due to rushing or impatience, and not a lack of forethought.
I like to minimize the number of times I say “OOPS” during a project.
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In terms of fabrication or repair projects, the scientific method as a whole isn’t perfectly applicable, but parts of it can be beneficial.
One of the steps I follow in my projects is directly analogous to how I conduct research. I ask a series of questions and then try to answer them as best as possible before moving on. In terms of the 5 rough steps above, the following would fall somewhere between steps 3 and 4.
- Are there any new or special safety considerations or procedures to follow?
- Do I have the proper tools?
- Do I have the right materials, parts, and supplies?
- Do I have appropriate personal protection gear?
- Do I need to learn new skills or techniques?
- Is this something I can and should do on my own?
- Have I done enough background research?
Adequate background research is essential to avoiding mistakes that can waste time or money. In some cases it can help you avoid potential harm. I recently wrote about how I almost inadvertently bought a radioactive mineral on Ebay. One minute with Google alerted me to how that particular mineral required special handling and storage considerations I’m not able to accommodate at this time.
One minute reading the drain cleaner’s bottle or doing an internet search would have spared a Florida teenager the trouble she now faces with felony charges and having to finish her schooling through an expulsion program.
A one minute internet search would have taught a former colleague of mine that you shouldn’t pour acetone into a plastic petri dish and let it sit for a few hours.
Did you know that rags soaked with linseed oil – a common wood finish – can spontaneously combust if you leave them in the open and bunched up?
Many years ago, a bit of reading would have showed me that a router is the proper tool for shaping and profiling the edges of a wood board. Boy did I go through a lot of Dremel sanding drums that week!
My point is, it pays to think things through. One doesn’t necessarily have to apply the scientific method to everything in life, but it is typically best to ask and answer questions before rushing into action, especially when dealing with power tools or hazardous chemicals.
fred
Some very good thoughts – with one adder for #5 that makes sure the results of #4 are repeatable and consistent within some tolerance band – and not just a fluke or the result of error.
Stuart
When you say repeatability, Cold Fusion (Wiki) is the first thing to come to mind.
That does play a part in projects as well. Mistakes will happen, but it’s best to take as many things into account as possible. For example, many new woodworkers do not take into account wood movement when they plan out their first solid wood projects.
silent_d
I can see two sides to this. There’s no question that research is a valuable tool. Whatever problem you’re trying to solve, chances are you’re not the first one to come across it, and you can save yourself a lot of trouble by looking at how others have solved (or at least tried to solve) the problem. Many mistakes are avoidable this way, and I agree that power tools and hazardous chemicals are two arenas where safety is critical.
On the other hand, we learn more from failure than success, and sometimes playing around with “hey, what if I tried it this way?” results in a breakthrough that would have been missed if we just looked up the “right” way to do things. Using Dremel sanding bands on the edge of a board might not have given you the result you wanted, but that approach might lead to a different but equally interesting result, one that would not have been discovered by simply using a router.
Stuart
True, but it comes down to the question of risk vs. gains. In certain cases the potential risks are greater than the experience that can come from failure.
What happens if I mix these two household chemicals together? Baking soda plus vinegar produces a messy but harmless slurry. Borax plus Elmer’s Glue in the right amounts produces slime. But if you mix certain cleaners together, the product is a highly toxic and deadly gas.
Using a Dremel with small sanding bands to profile an edge wasn’t a risky activity, only time consuming and with poor results.