1. Practice with the Scientific Process

Directions: On a piece of binder paper, label the upper right hand corner with your name, date, period and title of this assignment. You will answer all questions on your binder paper. Be sure to include the activity headings as well as the question numbers.

Is it a Scientific Question?

        Yes                                                No

Ex) Are bees attracted to bright colors?                Do cats like girls better than boys?

Scientific Questions:  The role of science is to answer questions about the world around us. However, not all questions can be answered scientifically. A question is considered scientific if the answer can be obtained by testing predictions, and collecting data.

Practice identifying questions that can be answered using the scientific method. On your binder paper copy the table to your right. As you read through the questions below, decide if you think they can be answered scientifically or not and rewrite the question in the appropriate column.

1. Does chocolate taste better than vanilla?
2. Is smoking harmful to your health?
3. Is ice-skating more fun than roller skating?
4. Does fast music sound nicer than slow music?
5. Do students get lower grades when they watch television while they study?

Bonus: Take one of the questions in your “NO” column and rewrite it so it could be answered scientifically

2. Identifying Parts of the Process:  Read the following scenario with your partner, discuss and answer the questions below.

Jane noticed that the pond behind her school was dirty and polluted from a nearby factory. She wondered if the water in the polluted pond changed the way in which animals that lived in the pond, like tadpoles, grew and developed. She started her investigation by searching through books and scientific journals for information on the normal growth and development of tadpoles. The information she found made her think that polluted water would cause tadpoles to grow abnormally.

        Jane decided to find out for sure so she collected 70 tadpoles from the polluted ponds and 70 tadpoles from a clean pond. She examined each tadpole she caught for signs of abnormal growth and development.

Check Your Understanding:

1. List three observations that Jane made.
2. Write a prediction Jane might make based on her observations.
3. Why do you think Jane read through books and journals before doing anything else?

The following is the data Jane collected in her tadpole investigation.

Check Your Understanding:

4. What should Jane conclude about the affect of pollution on the growth and development of tadpoles?

1. Identifying Variables:

Ex. What variable can affect the sprouting of a bean seed?

        Variable 1: Type of soil

        Variable 2: Amount of water

        Variable 3: Age of the bean seed

        Variable 4: Temperature

Variables are the pieces of the scientific process that are subject to change, can be tested, and are measured. In the questions below, identify possible variables in each situation.

1. What variables can affect the number of cookies sold by a girl scout?

Variable 1:

Variable 2:

Variable 3:

Variable 4:

2. What variables can affect the number of fish in a lake?

Variable 1:

Variable 2:

Variable 3:

Variable 4:

3. What variables can affect attendance at a football game?

Variable 1:

Variable 2:

Variable 3:

Variable 4:

4. What variables can affect the number of eggs laid by a chicken?

Variable 1:

Variable 2:

Variable 3:

Variable 4:

5. What variables can affect the speed of a runner?

Variable 1:

Variable 2:

Variable 3:

Variable 4:

Example: A student wanted to test how the mass of a paper airplane affected the distance it would fly.  Paper clips were added before each test flight.  As each paper clip was added, the plane was tested to determine how far it would fly.  

Independent Variable: Mass of paper airplane

Dependent Variable: Distance the airplane flies

Standard Variable:

The same plane was used for each trial

Each paperclip was the same mass

Each plane was thrown in the same way

4. Identifying Variables:

In a scientific investigation there are three main types of variables.

• An independent variable is any factor or condition that is intentionally changed by the experimenter.
• A dependent variable is a factor or condition that might change as a result of the independent variable. This is usually the variable that is measured.
• A standardized variable are the factors or conditions that stay the same in each of your experiments or trials.

For each experiment below, specify the independent, dependent, and standard variables.

1. Two groups of students were tested to compare their speed working math problems. Each group was given the same problems. One group used calculators and the other group computed without calculators.

1. Independent Variable: _____________________________________________
2. Dependent Variable: _______________________________________________
3. Standard Variable: ________________________________________________

2. Students of different ages were given the same puzzle to assemble. The amount of time it took to assemble the puzzles was measured.

1. Independent Variable: _____________________________________________
2. Dependent Variable: _______________________________________________
3. Standard Variable: ________________________________________________

3. A group of rose bushes were grown inside of a green house. Another group of rose bushes were grown outside in a garden. At the end of one month, the number of roses was counted on each bush.

1. Independent Variable: _____________________________________________
2. Dependent Variable: _______________________________________________
3. Standard Variable: ________________________________________________

5. Practice with the Scientific Process

Read the following statements and match them with the appropriate part of the scientific process.

1. Tamara wants to find out why sea water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water
2. Tamara goes to the library and reads a number of articles about the physical properties of solutions.
3. The scientist also reads about the composition of sea water.
4. The scientist travels to a nearby beach and notes the conditions there. Tamara tastes the water and takes notes bout other factors such as the waves, wind, air pressure, temperature and humidity.
5. After considering all this information, Tamara sits at a desk and writes, “If sea water has salt in it, it will freeze at a lower temperature than fresh water.”
6. Tamara goes to the science lab and does the following:

1. Fills each of two beakers with 1 liter of water
2. Dissolves 35 grams of table salt in one of the beakers
3. Places both beakers in a freezer at a temperature of -1 degree Celsius
4. Leaves the beakers in the freezer for 24 hours

7. After 24 hours, Tamara examines both beakers and finds the fresh water to be frozen. The salt water is still liquid.
8. Tamara writes in a notebook, “My data suggests that salt water freezes at a lower temperature than fresh water does”.
9. Tamara continues, “I suggest the reason sea water freezes at a lower temperature is the sea water contains dissolved salts, while fresh water does not.”

Questions

1. Which statement(s) contains conclusions?
2. Which statement(s) contains hypothesis?
3. Which statement(s) describe an experimental procedure?
4. In which statement is the problem described?
5. Which statement(s) contain observation?
6. Which statement(s) contains data?
7. Which is the independent variable in the experiment?
8. What is the dependent variable in the experiment?