WKST 1.3
Name: __________________________________ Class: _____________ Date: _________
Chapter 1: The Scientific Method
1
Scientific Method
A student was doing an experiment using the scientific method. The
student is testing how light affects plant growth. Different amounts of light
are given to plants grown in the same soil type and watered identically.
1. What is the student’s independent variable? ___
a. Amount of light
b. Amount of water
c. Soil type
d. Growth of the plants
2. What is the student’s dependent variable? ___
a. Amount of light
b. Amount of water
c. Soil type
d. Growth of the plants
3. Name at least 2 constant variables in the experiment
4. Every 3 days the student plans to count the number of green leaves
growing on the plant. What is a possible hypothesis for this
experiment?
a. If the plant in the warmer temperature grows more leaves, then
temperature has an influence on growth
b. If the plant under the brightest light grows more leaves, then light
brightness has an influence on growth
c. If the plant potted in clay grows more leaves, then soil type has an
influence on plant growth
A student wants to know how much sawdust can be placed in a granola
bar before their friends can tell (let’s not try this). The student places
different amounts of saw dust (5 mg, 10 mg, 15 mg, and 20 mg) in 200 mg
granola bars. The friends are all the same age, are tested around lunch,
and are given the same brand of granola bar with different saw dust
amounts, except for one group that gets a granola bar containing no
sawdust. The student records each participant’s reaction, whether they
notice the sawdust or not.
5. Write dependent, independent, or constant in the blank next to
each variable in the experiment.
a. ___________________________ kind of granola bar
b. ___________________________ amount of sawdust
c. ___________________________ age of participants
d. ___________________________ participant reaction to granola
e. ___________________________ time of testing each day
6. What does the trial where the granola bar has no sawdust added
represent?