The Scientific Method

Physics does not proceed by guesswork; it follows a disciplined scientific method -- a repeatable, step-by-step way of turning a raw observation into a tested law. The method has five ingredients:

1. Systematic observation -- watching a phenomenon carefully and recording what actually happens.
2. Controlled experimentation -- isolating the phenomenon so only one thing is varied at a time.
3. Qualitative and quantitative reasoning -- first reasoning about why it might happen, then attaching numbers to it.
4. Mathematical modelling -- writing the relationship as an equation.
5. Prediction and verification (or falsification) -- using the model to predict something new, then testing whether nature agrees; if it doesn't, the model is rejected or revised. …