What is the scientific method?
A _______ is an educated guess based on background knowledge and/or observations.
Hypothesis
A student is testing how the mass of a paper airplane affects how far it flies. What would be the dependent variable?
Distance the paper airplane flies
The best way to improve the reliability of my results is to _______ the experiment.
Repeat
Which type of graph would be best for showing how the temperature changes over the year?
Line graph
True or False: if an experiment does not support your hypothesis, the experiment was a failure.
False - the results still provide useful evidence
Students of different ages were given the same puzzle to assemble to see how fast they could put it together. What would be the independent variable?
Student ages
What is a control/constant?
Give two examples of qualitative data
(Anything that describes using the five senses - color, texture, smell, taste, visual qualities)
I.e. the solution is blue. The mixture has a sweet smell.
What are the steps of the scientific method?
Make observations, ask a question, write a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, analyze data, make a conclusion (& communicate results)
Shannon wants to see if the amount of time she studies will affect her grades. She normally studies for 30 minutes a night, but decides to double her study time to one hour per night. Over the next three weeks Shannon sees her science grade raise 10%. What’s the dependent variable?
Science grade
Why should you only change one (independent) variable at a time?
So you can tell which variable causes the result
Why is it useful to display data on a graph instead of a table?
Graphs make it easier to see & identify patterns
After an experiment, a student creates a table showing the results and looks for patterns. What step of the scientific method is this?
Analyzing data
A student adds one sugar cube to three cups of water: one cold, one room temperature, and one hot. They time how long it takes for the sugar cube to fully dissolve in each cup.
Identify TWO control variables.
Size of sugar cube, type of sugar, temperature of the room, cup type/material
Why do scientists keep certain variables the same throughout an investigation?
So they can determine whether the independent variable was causing the changes in the dependent variable
Based on the data in the graph on the whiteboard, which fertilizer is most effective at increasing plant growth compared with no fertilizer? Use evidence to support your answer. (You need at least two measurements in your answer)
Bio-Fertilizer. Plants grew 21 cm with Bio-Fertilizer compared with 12 cm with no fertilizer, a difference of 9 cm.
Why is it important for an experiment to be repeatable?
So scientists can determine whether the results are reliable and not just due to chance.
Based on the graph on the whiteboard, what are the dependent AND independent variables?
IV: type of fertilizer
DV: plant height/growth
A student tests the absorbency of two brands of paper towels. They use 10 mL of water on Brand A and 25 mL on Brand B. What is the problem with this experiment?
They changed more than one variable (water amount & paper towel brand), so it isn't a fair comparison.
A student say, "My hypothesis was correct because the graph went up." Why isn't this enough to support the hypothesis?
They need to use actual data/evidence (numbers, measurements, observations, etc.) and explain how it supports or does not support their prediction.