Scientific Method
What is the factor that a researcher intentionally alters in an experiment?
Independent Variable
Which graph type (Line, Bar, or Pie) is best for showing a percentage breakdown of a total?
Pie Graph
An Earth Science student investigates how salinity affects the evaporation rate of surface water exposed to wind. She sets up three identical shallow glass dishes, each containing 200 mL of liquid placed inside a wind tunnel with a constant airflow of 5km/h at 22 degreesC:
Dish A (Freshwater): 0g/L salt concentration
Dish B (Brackish Water): 15g/L salt concentration
Dish C (Ocean Salinity): 35g/L salt concentration
Every 2 hours for 8 hours, she uses a graduated cylinder to measure the remaining liquid volume (mL):
0 Hours: Dish A = 200mL | Dish B = 200mL | Dish C = 200 mL
2 Hours: Dish A = 182mL | Dish B = 188mL | Dish C = 193mL
4 Hours: Dish A = 165mL | Dish B = 175 mL | Dish C = 185mL
6 Hours: Dish A = 147 mL | Dish B = 163mL | Dish C = 178mL
8 Hours: Dish A = 130mL | Dish B = 150mL | Dish C = 170mL
What is the independent variable?
Water Salinity / Salt Concentration (g/L)
Convert 0.85 liters into milliliters.
True or False: A lab technician uses a 5-liter bucket to precisely transfer 0.5 mL of liquid into a test tube. Why?
What is False? (Correction: A pipette or micropipette should be used for sub-milliliter volumes.)
What is the baseline group in an experiment that does not receive the experimental treatment?
Control
Which graph type is best for comparing the average heights achieved by five distinct varieties of corn plants?
Bar Graph
An Earth Science student investigates how salinity affects the evaporation rate of surface water exposed to wind. She sets up three identical shallow glass dishes, each containing 200 mL of liquid placed inside a wind tunnel with a constant airflow of 5km/h at 22 degreesC:
Dish A (Freshwater): 0g/L salt concentration
Dish B (Brackish Water): 15g/L salt concentration
Dish C (Ocean Salinity): 35g/L salt concentration
Every 2 hours for 8 hours, she uses a graduated cylinder to measure the remaining liquid volume (mL):
0 Hours: Dish A = 200mL | Dish B = 200mL | Dish C = 200 mL
2 Hours: Dish A = 182mL | Dish B = 188mL | Dish C = 193mL
4 Hours: Dish A = 165mL | Dish B = 175 mL | Dish C = 185mL
6 Hours: Dish A = 147 mL | Dish B = 163mL | Dish C = 178mL
8 Hours: Dish A = 130mL | Dish B = 150mL | Dish C = 170mL
What is the dependent variable?
Remaining Water Volume (mL)
Convert 12.4 milliliters into liters.
0.0124 L
True or False: A botanist tracks daily stem growth of a sapling over a week using a millimeter-calibrated metric ruler, recording an increase of 8 mm. Why?
True
What are the environmental conditions and factors that must be kept identical across all trials to ensure a fair test?
Constants
Which graph type is best for plotting changes in atmospheric pressure recorded hourly throughout a hurricane?
Line Graph
An Earth Science student investigates how salinity affects the evaporation rate of surface water exposed to wind. She sets up three identical shallow glass dishes, each containing 200 mL of liquid placed inside a wind tunnel with a constant airflow of 5km/h at 22 degreesC:
Dish A (Freshwater): 0g/L salt concentration
Dish B (Brackish Water): 15g/L salt concentration
Dish C (Ocean Salinity): 35g/L salt concentration
Every 2 hours for 8 hours, she uses a graduated cylinder to measure the remaining liquid volume (mL):
0 Hours: Dish A = 200mL | Dish B = 200mL | Dish C = 200 mL
2 Hours: Dish A = 182mL | Dish B = 188mL | Dish C = 193mL
4 Hours: Dish A = 165mL | Dish B = 175 mL | Dish C = 185mL
6 Hours: Dish A = 147 mL | Dish B = 163mL | Dish C = 178mL
8 Hours: Dish A = 130mL | Dish B = 150mL | Dish C = 170mL
What is the control group?
Dish A
Convert 1.9 grams into milligrams.
1,900 mg
True or False: A researcher measures out 50 g of crushed granite powder using the 50 mL mark on a graduated cylinder. Why?
What is False? (Correction: Graduated cylinders measure volume in mL; mass in grams must be measured using a scale/balance.)
What is the factor that changes and is measured to collect data?
Dependent Variable
Graphing goes along with what step of the scientific method
Collecting and analyzing results
An Earth Science student investigates how salinity affects the evaporation rate of surface water exposed to wind. She sets up three identical shallow glass dishes, each containing 200 mL of liquid placed inside a wind tunnel with a constant airflow of 5km/h at 22 degreesC:
Dish A (Freshwater): 0g/L salt concentration
Dish B (Brackish Water): 15g/L salt concentration
Dish C (Ocean Salinity): 35g/L salt concentration
Every 2 hours for 8 hours, she uses a graduated cylinder to measure the remaining liquid volume (mL):
0 Hours: Dish A = 200mL | Dish B = 200mL | Dish C = 200 mL
2 Hours: Dish A = 182mL | Dish B = 188mL | Dish C = 193mL
4 Hours: Dish A = 165mL | Dish B = 175 mL | Dish C = 185mL
6 Hours: Dish A = 147 mL | Dish B = 163mL | Dish C = 178mL
8 Hours: Dish A = 130mL | Dish B = 150mL | Dish C = 170mL
What are the constants?
Initial water volume, wind speed, air temperature , dish shape/surface area
Convert 1,850 millimeters into meters.
1.85 m
True or False: A student calculates the distance between two weather stations across a county using a 15 cm plastic ruler flipped end-over-end. Why?
What is False? (Correction: Large geographic distances should be measured using km via GPS, satellite maps, or GIS tools.)
What is the final step of the scientific method, which allows other researchers to review, test, and build upon the findings?
Communicating Results
List the things every good graph needs:
Title, scale, labels, legend, units, key (if applicable), independent and dependent variables
An Earth Science student investigates how salinity affects the evaporation rate of surface water exposed to wind. She sets up three identical shallow glass dishes, each containing 200 mL of liquid placed inside a wind tunnel with a constant airflow of 5km/h at 22 degreesC:
Dish A (Freshwater): 0g/L salt concentration
Dish B (Brackish Water): 15g/L salt concentration
Dish C (Ocean Salinity): 35g/L salt concentration
Every 2 hours for 8 hours, she uses a graduated cylinder to measure the remaining liquid volume (mL):
0 Hours: Dish A = 200mL | Dish B = 200mL | Dish C = 200 mL
2 Hours: Dish A = 182mL | Dish B = 188mL | Dish C = 193mL
4 Hours: Dish A = 165mL | Dish B = 175 mL | Dish C = 185mL
6 Hours: Dish A = 147 mL | Dish B = 163mL | Dish C = 178mL
8 Hours: Dish A = 130mL | Dish B = 150mL | Dish C = 170mL
What type of graph should be used? Why?
Triple Line Graph (tracks continuous changes in volume over time across three comparative conditions), also two groups of quantitative data
Convert 7 milliliters into kiloliters.
0.000007 kL
True or False: A geologist sets a mineral sample on a digital scale to determine its mass and records the measurement as 42 g. Why?
True