Variable Inquiry Questions/Content
Investigation 1: Swingers
Part 1:
1. What is a variable?
A variable is anything that you can change in an experiment that might affect the outcome.
2. What is a pendulum and where have you seen one?
A mass hanging from a fixed point that is free to swing to and fro. You might find one in an old clock,
at a museum, as a playground swing, or in a metronome.
3. What variable might affect the number of cycles the pendulum makes in 15 seconds?
The variables that might affect the number of cycles a pendulum makes in 15 seconds are mass, length,
and starting position.
Part 2:
4. Which variables made no difference in the number of swings?
The variables that made no difference in the number of swings were mass and release position.
5. Which variable did make a difference in the number of swings?
The variable that did make a difference in the number of swings was the length.
6. Is there a relationship between the length of a pendulum and the number of swings it makes in a
unit of time?
As the length of a pendulum increases, the number of swings decreases. And the converse:
as the length of the pendulum decreases, the number of swings increases.
Part 3:
7. How can you predict how many swings an 80cm pendulum will make in 15 seconds?
You can predict how many swings an 80-cm pendulum will make in 15 seconds by using a twocoordinate graph. If one variable is known, a two-coordinate graph can be used to predict the value of
its corresponding variable.
Variable Inquiry Questions/Content
Investigation 2: Lifeboats
Part 1:
1. What variables might affect the number of passengers a paper-cup boat can hold?
The variables that might affect the number of passengers a paper-cup boat can hold are where the
pennies are placed in the cup, water movement, and the size of the cup.
Part 2:
2. Is there a relationship between the capacity of lifeboats and the number of passengers they hold?
The relationship between the capacity of a lifeboat and the number of passengers the lifeboat can hold is
the greater the capacity, the more passengers a boat can hold.
Part 3:
3. How were you able to predict the number of passengers a new boat would hold?
You were able to predict the number of passengers a new boat would hold by using a two-coordinate
graph.
4. Did any results surprise you? If so, what do you think happened?
Answers may vary: Unexpected results may have come from changing more variables than just boat
capacity.
Variable Inquiry Questions/Content
Investigation 3: Plane Sense
Part 1:
1. Why is your plane and flight line a system?
A plane and flight line are a system because all parts work together to make the plane fly. Each part
affects the outcome.
Part 2:
2. What variables had an effect on the FOSS planes?
Answers may vary: The variables that had an effect on the FOSS planes were the…
o number of winds,
o mass,
o length of rubber band, etc.
Part 3:
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Part 4:
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Variable Inquiry Questions/Content
Investigation 4: Flippers
Part 1:
1. Describe the flipper system. Why is it called a system?
The flipper system is a flipper base, flipper stick, cork, and craft stick all working together.
Part 2:
2. What variables might affect the distance a ball will fly?
The variables that might affect the distance a ball will fly are the mass of the ball, size of the ball, angle of
the launch, length of the flip stick, how far you press the stick down, and position of the ball on the
stick.
3. What is the relationship between the mass of the foil ball and the distance it flies?
The relationship between the mass of a foil ball and the distance it flies is the lighter the ball, the farther
it will fly.
Part 3:
4. Why do scientists conduct multiple trials of the same variable?
Scientists conduct multiple trails of the same variable because multiple trails improve the accuracy of the
experimental results.
Part 4:
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