Welcome to Natural Science Concept 4: Collecting Data By the end of this lesson, you will be able to… identify the best equipment to collect accurate data collect data choosing appropriate ranges, numbers and values for measurements and observations Replace italicised words to fit lesson Activities: Selecting equipment: Know your tools Collecting data: Sort yourself out! Translational: From plan to table

Selecting equipment: Know your tools What equipment and units would you use to measure: The length of the room / lab The temperature of a cup of tea The mass of a cricket ball The volume of rainfall The weight of a watermelon Metre ruler / tape measure metres (m) Thermometer degrees Celsius (°C) Top pan balance grams / kilograms (g, kg) Measuring cyclinder cubic centimetres (cm3) Newton meter Newtons (N)

Collecting data: Sort yourself out! Read the instructions below. Then think about how you will collect and record the data before you start. Write down your date of birth, hair colour and height (metre rulers available if you need to measure) Share your data with 4 other students so you have 5 dates of birth, 5 hair colours and 5 heights Order the results from oldest to youngest, tallest to shortest and darkest hair to fairest Can you spot a pattern or relationship between age and height? What conclusions can you draw about the 5 students from which you have collected data? Was this test a fair test? How could the data you collected be more reliable?

Translational: From plan to table Before collecting any data, it is important that a clear results table is drawn. Scientists follow a specific convention when translating their plan into a results table: Independent Variable (the variable that you are in control of changing) Dependent Variable (the variable that you measure or observe) 1 2 3 Average (mean) always in the left column always in the right column at least 3 repeated measurements at least 5 values in an appropriate range

Translational: From plan to table For each investigation question below, draw a results table to show how you would record the data. Remember to include the units in brackets after the independent (if appropriate) and dependent variables in the title of each column. Choose the values of your independent variable carefully. How does the volume of a beaker affect how quickly water boils? How does the number of open windows in a room affect the air temperature? How does the mass of flour in a cake affect it’s thickness? How do different types of exercise effect pulse rate? Independent variable = Volume of beaker Dependent variable = Time to boil water minutes Units = Independent variable = Dependent variable = No. of windows Air temperature (°C) Units = Independent variable = Dependent variable = Mass of flour Height of cake Units = cm Independent variable = Types of exercise Dependent variable = Pulse rate Units = beats per minute

Translational: From plan to table How does the volume of a beaker affect how quickly water boils? Volume of beaker (cm3) Time to boil water (mins) 1 2 3 Average (mean) 100 250 500 750 1000

Translational: From plan to table 2. How does the number of open windows in a room affect the air temperature? Number of open windows Air temperature (°C) 1 2 3 Average (mean) 4

Translational: From plan to table 3. How does the mass of flour in a cake affect it’s thickness? Mass of flour (g) Thickness of cake (cm) 1 2 3 Average (mean) 50 100 150 200

Translational: From plan to table 4. How do different types of exercise effect pulse rate? Types of exercise carried out for 2 mins Pulse rate (beats per minute) 1 2 3 Average (mean) Leg stretches Sit ups Walking Jogging Skipping

Homework Draw a results table and collect data based on your plan. The 17th Century scientist and philosopher Galileo attended church and watched the huge light fitting gently swing. He timed how long it took to swing left to right and back again. He thought, ‘Does the swing time change if the chain length changes, or if the mass of the light changes?’ Draw a results table and collect data based on your plan.