The Antioxidant Properties of Food – Experimental Design Worksheet
Full Names of all team members:__________________________________________
Today you will design an experiment that will test your hypothesis regarding the
antioxidant contents of food using the form on the attached worksheet. Remember that a
well-designed experiment will include the following parts:
Independent Variable(s) – this is what you deliberately change in your
experiment in order to test your hypothesis. You should only have one
independent variable per experiment. Otherwise, how do you know which change
really made a difference?
Control(s) – There are many different types of experimental controls. You
should always try to have a negative control for comparative purposes (medical
studies use placeboes). You also need to standardize as many other experimental
variables as possible (the amounts of each ingredient added, the time and speed
with which you beat the eggs, etc.) Controls allow scientists to be more certain
that the outcomes of their experiments are valid.
Dependent Variable(s) – This can be thought of as the variable you are trying to
predict. Are you trying to get your cookie batter to have more volume? Do you
want the finished product to have a particular characteristic? How will you
measure those results?
Replication (Sample Size) – In order for scientific data to be considered valid, it
must be repeatable. This means that you need to plan for replicate experiments.
However, your plans also need to account for available time and reagents. You
will each be able to run 8 total samples (one must be the positive control, one
must be the negative control).
1) What question are you trying to answer?
Your design should be in the form of a written description, with sufficient detail and
clarity that others can evaluate it. Include all the following elements in as much detail
as possible:
Hypothesis to be Tested
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable – and exactly how you plan to measure it
Controls
Number of Repeats