The Steps
What is the first step in the scientific method that is usually implied and not often mentioned? What do you use during this step?
This is the variable that the scientist deliberately (intentionally/on purpose) during the experiment.
What is... the independent variable.
A random guess, a final answer, a measurement of results, or a testable prediction?
What is... a testable prediction.
What is this? Science collect it during an experiment. It could be measurements, written observations, or numbers
What is... data
Professor Picklebottom notices that his Insta reels get more views when he wears neon green socks. What unofficial step is he using in the scientific method that sparks purpose/questioning?
What is... observation.
What are the six official steps we use for the scientific method in order?
What are... find a purpose, research the topic, hypothesis, plan and perform an experiment, analyze results, make a conclusion.
In the helicopter lab, what was our independent variable?
What was... wing length.
Complete the hypothesis: "If the wing length increases, then the fall time will ________________ because _________________.
If the wing length increases, then the fall time will increase because longer wings create more air resistance, making it fall slower.
What is... 3.4 seconds (3.2+3.4+3.6=10.2/3=3.4)
Dr.Noodlehead wants to know if changing the brightness of his phone screen affects the battery life of his phone. What is the independent variable?
What is... the brightness of the screen. That is what he is changing to affect the battery life.
In this step, the scientist makes a testable prediction based on what they already know.
What is... the hypothesis.
In the helicopter lab, what was our dependent variable?
What was... the fall time. The fall time depended on the wing length.
Is this a strong hypothesis? Why or why not?
"The helicopter will fall eventually"
No. It isn't in if, then, because format. It doesn't identify an independent variable, make a specific prediction, or explain why.
An egg with a small parachute has an average fall time of 3.1 seconds. An egg with a larger parachute has an average fall time of 3.8 seconds. Which parachute helps the egg fall slower?
The egg with the larger parachute helps the egg fall slower because it has a higher average fall time.
Ms.Fluffernutter is testing whether a soccer ball travels farther when it is kicked with different types of shoes. She uses the same ball, field, and kicking force each time. Is this a fair test? If so, why and what is the dependent variable?
Yes, because only one variable changes- the shoes. The length the ball goes is the dependent variable (depending on the shoes).
A scientist drops three eggs off a balcony, each with a different sized parachute. She then records the fall times and repeats the test a few times. What is the scientist doing?
What is... conducting an experiment
A student is testing if the amount of sunlight affects how tall a plant grows. The student waters the plants with the same amount of water and gives each plant a different amount of sunlight. They track the height of the plant every 2 days. What are the independent and dependent variables?
Fix this hypothesis:
"If I throw this airplane, it will fly because airplanes are cool."
If the airplane is folded with longer wings, it will go farther because the wider wings create more lift in the air. (or something like that)
A group recorded the following times for their egg drop: 2.7 seconds, 2.8 seconds, and 3.9 seconds. Which trial was unusual? What could be the possible error?
The 3.9 second trial is unusual because it is so much bigger than the other two trials. An error could have been a gust of wind, a late drop, or the helicopter hitting something on the way down.
Why did we use multiple trials instead of just one when dropping the helicopters?
When you do repeated trials, you get more reliable data and you can identify errors more easily. The more trials and the bigger the sample, the more accurate the data. (You want 1,000 4 star reviews. Not 2 5 star reviews)
A student is calculating averages, comparing the results, identifying patterns, and figuring out whether the hypothesis is supported or not. What step are they on AND what comes next?
What is... the analysis step. The next step is to make a conclusion.
A group is doing the paper helicopter experiment. They decide to change the wing size, drop height, and number of cotton balls attached to the helicopter all at once. Is this a fair trial? What do they need to improve it?
No, this is not a fair trial because more than one variable was changed.
They need to keep the drop height, and number of cotton balls attached the same.
Create a new hypothesis for another investigation where we test if the number of cotton balls affects the paper helicopter's fall time. Use the proper format.
If the number of cotton balls increase, then the helicopter will have a different fall time because adding more mass will affect the motion of the fall (or something like that)
A group collected this data:
Big Parachute: 2.3, 2.4, 2.5
Small Parachute: 1.7, 1.5, 1.8
What are the averages for each and what is the pattern you see?
The small parachute average is 1.67
The big parachute average is 2.4
The bigger the parachute, the longer it takes for the egg to fall.
A group guessed that the eggs with the smaller parachute would fall slower because they are lighter. The experiment showed that actually, the smaller parachutes made the eggs fall faster. What should they conclude?
The group should explain that their hypothesis was not supported because the average fall times from the experiment showed the opposite of what they predicted. They should not change the data or change the experiment to support their hypothesis.