There is no single scientific method, but over at Uncertain Principles, we can see an example of science getting done in a particular way.

First there’s an observation of a phenomenon, which runs contrary to another, similar phenomenon: Playground Physics: Roller Slide Mystery

The acceleration of an object sliding down a ramp, even with friction, should not depend on the mass of the object. And yet, I very clearly go faster than SteelyKid does, and while I don’t have the video to test it qualitatively, I’m pretty sure Kate’s rate of sliding falls between SteelyKid and me.

So, the question for you is: Why does that happen?

The question is raised, and discussion ensues. A promising hypothesis is offered in the comments (and not too long before I read the post, so I didn’t get a chance to think about it)

Chad fleshes out the concept behind the suggested model and presents the data:
Roller Slide Physics Explained

Lacking the time to go and get better data (which can be a proxy for those situations where circumstances dictate that you can’t get more data, we have a simulation based on the model that has been constructed.
Roller Slide Physics Simulated

The results certainly point to the model being plausible, and would allow for a more detailed experiment should someone wish to follow up on it. Not a bad representation of the scientific method. But I didn’t entitle this “Scientific Method in Action,” and for one reason:

I really ought to be doing other things, but this roller slide business kept nagging at me, and I eventually realized I could mock up a crude simulation of the results.

If you want to sum up what science all about — more than just the method — it would have to include the inquisitiveness of the people who practice it. Unsolved problems bug us, and it doesn’t even have to be your own problem. If you tell a scientist what you’re stuck on, it’s not unusual to get a response a little later on that starts off with “I was thinking about that problem — have you tried X?” When you’re stuck on your own problem, the distraction of someone else’s problem is very attractive.