Experimental Variables
Measurements
Technology
Engineering
Potpourri
100
A scientist did an experiment to see if bacon makes turtles stronger. One turtle was fed a slice of bacon every day, and the other turtle was fed turtle food. At the end of the experiment, the scientist measured how much weight the turtles could lift. What is the independent variable in this experiment?
Feeding bacon to the turtle.
100
This is the amount of space that something takes up, and it is measured in cubic centimeters or milliliters.
Volume
100
What is the intended benefit of a new technology?
The positive purpose that the technology was designed to do.
100
What is being created by engineers who use the engineering design process?
Technology
100
This is a testable prediction for what might happen in an experiment.
A hypothesis
200
A scientist did an experiment to see if bacon makes turtles stronger. One turtle was fed a slice of bacon every day, and the other turtle was fed turtle food. At the end of the experiment, the scientist measured how much weight the turtles could lift. What is the dependent variable in this experiment?
The dependent variable was the weight the turtles could lift.
200
This is the SI unit for the gravitational force exerted on an object, which is measured using a spring scale.
Newton (N)
200
What is an unintended consequence of a new technology?
A use or effect of a new technology (usually bad) that was not part of the design intended by the engineers.
200
What is the difference between adaptive and assistive bioengineering?
Assistive bioengineering helps an organism but doesn't change it, but adaptive bioengineering permanently changes an organism.
200
Is biofuel an example of adaptive or assistive biotechnology, and why?
Biofuel is adaptive biotechnology, because the organism is changed permanently. (You can't change ethanol back into corn.)
300
A scientist did an experiment to see if bacon makes turtles stronger. One turtle was fed a slice of bacon every day, and the other turtle was fed turtle food. At the end of the experiment, the scientist measured how much weight the turtles could lift. What is the control group in this experiment?
The turtle that got turtle food was the control group.
300
This is the tool that is used to measure the amount of matter in an object.
The triple beam balance
300
What does an engineer need to do after brainstorming ideas for how to create a new technology
Pick the best idea based on design constraints (cost/benefit, time to develop the technology, size of the item, etc.)
300
What is the purpose of the prototype in the engineering design process?
A prototype is a test model to show whether a new technology works as it is intended to do.
300
What was the original name of the International System of Measurements (SI)?
The metric system
400
What is a constant in an experiment?
Something that is kept the same through all trials of an experiment.
400
This is the amount of matter per unit of volume, and it can be measured in grams per milliliter or kilograms per cubic meter.
Density
400
What is the definition of technology?
Products and processes that help us.
400
What is a cost-benefit analysis?
The process of determining if developing a particular technology is worthwhile.
400
What risk to good scientific methods might be introduced when an experimenter wants a certain outcome from an experiment?
Bias
500
Why does a good experiment need constants?
Because a good experiment only has one independent variable that is being changed by the experimenter. (An experiment should try to show if the independent variable is the thing that is affecting the dependent variable.)
500
Why is weight not a "universal" measurement?
Because weight varies depending on the gravitational force exerted on an object. (An object has different weights on different planets.)
500
Ethanol, often produced from corn, is being added to gasoline in an attempt to reduce the amount of fossil fuel usage. Which is an unintended consequence of ethanol use? (A) cost of corn products increases; (B) improvement in gas mileage; (C) conservation of fossil fuels; or (D) improved health of environment
The increased cost of corn products is an unintended consequence of ethanol use.
500
Why does the engineering design process not always follow the exact same sequence of steps?
Sometimes the engineering design process goes better than other times. (Occasionally, a technology needs to be modified and retested several times before it is perfected.)
500
This is an explanation of a scientific phenomenon that is based on the results of many experiments
A Scientific Theory
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