Reference no: EM131107182

Assignment 1: Applications of the Scientific Method

The scientific method is useful in problem solving and decision-making in a wide variety of fields. In this assignment, you will demonstrate how to use the scientific method to make decisions and solve problems in your field of study or everyday life.

Identify a specific problem often faced in your field of study or everyday life. Research your problem and assess your data / research. Examples of such problems could be:

1.Business

1.Developing a new product that is superior to competitor's brands; or

2.Establishing a price for a new product using the law of supply and demand;

2.Information Systems and Technology

1.The use of personal electronic devices for work purpose, or

2.Determining in the most cost-effective computer for your business;

3.Criminal Justice

1.The reliability of eyewitness testimony, or

2.Determining what evidence reveals to you about a crime;

4.Everyday Life

1.Selecting a particular brand of detergent, or

2.Determining the most cost-efficient transportation / route for your commute.

Write a three to five (3-5) page paper in which you:

1.Explain the scientific method and describe the overall manner in which you would apply it in your field of study or everyday life.

2.Propose one (1) testable hypothesis to explain / solve the problem you have selected. State the expected outcomes of your actions and include criteria for determining whether or not these actions would succeed. Note: Your hypothesis should be stated very precisely.

3.Describe the main actions that you intend to put into place to test the hypothesis that you proposed in Question 2. Describe the way in which you would evaluate the success of your program. Include the results that you would deem as a success and the results that would be considered a failure.

4.Discuss the wisdom behind the strategy you would use to test the hypothesis from Question 3, and describe the additional steps you might take, depending on the results of your test. Note: These additional steps might be to revise your original hypothesis (if the results were unsatisfactory) or to propose new hypotheses. The goal is to continuously improve your understanding of the factors influencing your outcomes, to be able to achieve greater results over time.

5.Use at least two (2) quality resources / references in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and personal blogs do not qualify as quality resources.

Your report must follow these formatting requirements:

•Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

•Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

•Apply concepts in physical sciences to evaluate current trends and issues in the modern world.

•Describe the physical processes influencing climate and weather.

•Use technology and information resources to research issues in physical sciences.

•Write clearly and concisely about physical sciences using proper writing mechanics

I was given a subject from the teacher and listed below is what I have come up with already****

Establishing a more harsh punishment for "White Collar crime that would reduce fraud in Corporate America.

The scientific method is an ongoing process, which usually begins with observations about the natural world. Human beings are naturally inquisitive, so they often come up with questions about things they see or hear and often develop ideas (hypotheses) about why things are the way they are. The best hypotheses lead to predictions that can be tested in various ways, including making further observations about nature. In general, the strongest tests of hypotheses come from carefully controlled and replicated experiments that gather empirical data.

Depending on how well the tests match the predictions, the original hypothesis may require refinement, alteration, expansion or even rejection.

If a particular hypothesis becomes very well supported a general theory may be developed. The scientific method is one of the most powerful of all the approaches yet devised for obtaining answers to questions and the scientific method not only validates its own hypothesis but also opens to refine, alter, expand or even reject the hypothesis.

The applicability of the scientific method in determining the punishment for "White Collar crime that would reduce fraud in Corporate America can be clearly visualized. The problem to determine a punishment for "White Collar crime that would reduce fraud in Corporate America is scientific in nature as one can easily observe that before we can issue a harsh punishment for "White Collar" crime, Where in the law does it say that sentences have to be proportional? Sometimes, the answer is, "Nowhere." Other times, it's clearly spelled out. It all depends on if you're dealing with state or federal law. Thus, by observation the assumption that potential and actual offenders respond to both positive and negative incentives, with "White Collar" crime and that the volume of fraud offences in Corporate America, In most cases the punishment for the laws that are broken don't seem to be that offence for stealing from a company. At, the same time trying to establish a more severe punishment for "White Collar" still need to go through al the steps followed by scientific method such as hypothesis formulation, test of hypothesis, analzation of data and drawing a conclusion.