Make a Simple Experiment Report

Scientists do not just guess — they test their ideas carefully and write down exactly what they find. That record is called an experiment report. Learning to write one is one of the most important science skills you can develop.

The five parts of an experiment report

1. Question — What do you want to find out? It is always phrased as a question. Example: "Does the color of an object affect how fast it heats up in sunlight?"
2. Prediction — What do you think will happen, and why? This is also called a hypothesis. Example: "I predict the dark cup will warm faster because dark colors absorb more light."
3. Method — What did you do? List your materials and steps clearly so someone else could repeat the experiment.
4. Result — What actually happened? Write down what you observed or measured. Be factual — do not change what you saw to match your prediction.
5. Conclusion — What did the results tell you? Does it answer your question? Did it match your prediction?

What is a fair test?

• A fair test changes only one thing (the variable) and keeps everything else the same.
• In the color experiment: the only variable is the color of the cups. The cups are the same size, placed the same distance from sunlight, for the same amount of time.
• If more than one thing changes, you cannot tell which change caused the result.

Good science habits

• Always write down your results as you observe them — not from memory later.
• If your result does not match your prediction, that is still a good result! Science is about finding out what is true, not about being right.
• Repeat the experiment more than once to make sure the result was not just a fluke.