Problem Solving
Have you ever tried to order takeout on a rotary phone? Or use a Thomas Guide for directions? Have you ever even heard of a rotary phone or a Thomas Guide? No? Well, you have a scientist to thank for that.
At one point, these were all pretty serious first-world problems. Thankfully, scientists are professional problem solvers. And they've got a pretty spectacular tool in their belt called the scientific method.
Scientists can use the scientific method to solve all kinds of problems, from how to keep us flu-free to feeding millions of hungry people in undeveloped countries. Of course it all starts with an observation, or more likely an annoyed groan. "Ugh, my socks are stuck to my pants, again?" Then comes the hypothesis. What could possibly be done to remedy this problem?
After that, there's a lot of experimenting. Very rarely does a scientist solve a problem on the first try. This means they've got to get back to the drawing board, revise their experiment and try all over again. And again. And again. Then when they've finally got an answer to the world's problems, they can pat the scientific method on the back and enjoy not having to deal with serious problems, like world hunger or static cling.
The gist here is that the scientific method can be used to solve problems of all magnitudes. In fact, we've been using the scientific method to solve problems our whole lives. Need to know how to build the tallest block tower ever? We're going to need to do quite a few experiments with gravity to find the combination of blocks we need to achieve that impressive feat of block construction. This is just like when scientists try to figure how to fuse atoms or grow a human ear on the back of a mouse. It's a lot of trial and error, but it's all worth it in the end.