WELCOME BACK!
• NUMBER ALL THE PAGES IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
• Begin with the first page
• ODD numbers should be on the left
• EVEN numbers should be on the right
• Put the number in the BOTTOM CORNER of each page
• Close your notebook when finished
• **Have name tent out on your desk**
Table of Contents
WHITE BOARDS
• List any experiments you have engaged in throughout any point in your life – do not
necessarily have to have occurred in science class
• Explain what makes an experiment an experiment. (i.e. how is an experiment
DIFFERENT from “just trying something out”?)
Experimental Design Vocabulary
Independent Variable
Dependent Variable
Hypothesis (what should it have?)
Control
Constants
Title (what should it have?)
Experimental Groups
Experiments are designed to show the cause and
effect relationship between two different variables.
We call these two variables the independent variable
(the cause) and the dependent variable (the effect).
What two things changed between the trials?
The fertilizer and the height of the plant.
What was the independent variable
(the cause)?
The fertilizer.
What was the dependent variable
(the effect)? The height of the plant
Everything else in the experiment is held constant.
This means that nothing else is changed. This is done
so that nothing will interfere with how the
independent and dependent variables interact.
What are the constants in the experiment below?
Light, water, pot, soil, and type of plant are all constants.
light
light
water
soil
type of plant
pot
light
water
soil
water
type of plant
type of plant
soil
pot
pot
Select the hypothesis that places the variables
in the correct cause/effect relationship.
What of the following would be the best hypothesis for this experiment?
A The amount of sunlight a plant receives decreases the growth of the plant.
B Plant growth determines the amount of fertilizer found in the soil.
C The size of the pots will affect the growth of the plants.
D The addition of fertilizer will increase the growth of the plant.
Three Parts to a Conclusion
CLAIM
• A statement about the solution to a problem
• A response to a question
• An answer to a problem
EVIDENCE
• Relevant data or facts that supports the claim
• Observations that support the claim
REASONING
• Describes the scientific reason why it happened
Does Carbon Dioxide contribute to global warming?
Container
Temperature
Air
28.2 Celsius
Carbon Dioxide
32.4 Celsius
Yes, it does. You can see in my data table that the
temperatures are different.
Does Carbon Dioxide contribute to global warming?
Container
Temperature
Air
28.2 Celsius
Carbon Dioxide
32.4 Celsius
Carbon Dioxide contributes to global warming. The
container with the air has a lower temperature than
the container with carbon dioxide. So, you can see
that it does contribute.
Does Carbon Dioxide contribute to global warming?
Container
Temperature
Air
28.2 Celsius
Carbon Dioxide
32.4 Celsius
Carbon dioxide does contribute to global warming. The
temperature in the container with air is 28.2 degrees
Celsius and the temperature in the container with
Carbon Dioxide is 32.4 degrees Celsius. The container
with Carbon Dioxide is 4.2 degrees higher than air.
Carbon dioxide is a warmer gas than regular air, so that
is why this occurs.
Does Carbon Dioxide contribute to global warming?
Container
Temperature
Air
28.2 Celsius
Carbon Dioxide
32.4 Celsius
Carbon dioxide does contribute to global warming. The
temperature in the container with air is 28.2 degrees Celsius
and the temperature in the container with Carbon Dioxide is
32.4 degrees Celsius. The container with Carbon Dioxide is
4.2 degrees higher than air. When the heat from the sun
hits the earth, it is reflected back into the atmosphere.
Carbon Dioxide traps this heat from escaping into space,
therefore increasing the temperature of Earth.
Inquiry: Design an Experiment
•Advertisements are used to convince you to purchase a
service/good – but are they always true?
•Today, we will look at a magazine ad and will design an experiment
to determine IF the claim made in the ad is accurate
•To begin, we will all use the same ad
•Sections of experiment
•Poster – Small white sheet of paper
•Time: 25 minutes
EXPERIMENTAL POSTER
•Now that we have some practice, you and your partner will design
an experiment and create an actual poster
•Potential magazine ads have been printed for you – each group get’s
one ad and no 2 groups will have the same ad
•This time it’s “For Real” – AKA for a grade
•Time: 41 minutes
PROVE IT
1. Differentiate between an independent and
dependent variable
2. Why is the control a valuable part of
experimental design?
3. Why would multiple trials be necessary in any
experiment?
4. How should all hypotheses by formatted?