What Makes “Good” Science?

Good Science is about… Making Observations Does all of the information on the label support the claim that this juice is “100% juice”? Ingredients (on back): apple, grape, cherry and pineapple juices from concentrate (filtered water and juice concentrates), natural flavors, carmine (color), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), malic acid a) Yes, the label says that it contains fruit punch. b) No, there are other ingredients beside juice. c) Yes, there are 4 kinds of juice in the ingredients. d) There’s no way to tell from the label.

Good Science is about… Making Inferences Based on Evidence What does this ad want you to infer about Lysol? a) Lysol comes in many colors. b) Lysol cleans better than other cleaners. c) The new scent is better than the old scents. d) Lysol cleans soap scum.

Good Science is about… Making Inferences Based on Evidence What evidence is needed to support the claim that Lysol cleans better than others? a) Number of people who prefer Lysol over other brands b) Number of bottles of Lysol sold compared to other brands c) Percent of soap scum left after cleaning a shower with Lysol d) Percent of soap scum removed from a shower by Lysol compared to other cleaners

Experiment #1 Homer notices that his shower is covered in a strange green slime. His friend Barney tells him that coconut juice will get rid of the green slime. Homer decides to check this out by spraying ½ of the shower with coconut juice. He sprays the other ½ of the shower with water. After 3 days of "treatment" both sides of the shower still look the same. Homer notices that his shower is covered in a strange green slime. His friend Barney tells him that coconut juice will get rid of the green slime. Homer decides to check this out by spraying ½ of the shower with coconut juice. He sprays the other ½ of the shower with water. After 3 days of "treatment" both sides of the shower still look the same.

Good Science is about… Testing a Hypothesis a) Green slime in a shower can be removed with coconut juice. b) Coconut juice does not remove green slime. c) There is green slime in his shower. d) The green slime can be removed. What is Homer’s hypothesis?

Good Science is about… Knowing All of Your Variables What is Homer’s independent (manipulated) variable? a) Amount of green slime b) Applying coconut juice c) Applying water d) Number of days

Good Science is about… Knowing All of Your Variables What is the dependent (responding) variable? a) Amount of green slime b) Applying coconut juice c) Applying water d) Number of days

Good Science is about… Knowing All of Your Variables Which of these variables did Homer keep as constants (controlled variables)? a) Used both liquids (coconut juice and water) in the same shower b) Applied both liquids for 3 days c) Sprayed an equal section of the shower with each liquid d) Homer kept all of these things constant

Good Science is about… Using Data to Draw Conclusions Based on his data, what should Homer conclude? a) Coconut juice cannot remove green slime. b) Spraying coconut juice on green slime for 3 days does not seem to decrease the amount of slime. c) Green slime cannot be removed from a shower. d) Barney is a liar.

Experiment #2 SpongeBob loves to garden and wants to grow lots of pink flowers for his pal Sandy. He bought a special Flower Power Fertilizer to see if it will help plants produce more flowers. He plants two plants of the same size in separate containers with the same amount of potting soil. He places one plant in a sunny window and waters it every day with Flower Power Fertilizer. He places the other plant on a shelf in a closet and waters it with plain water every 2 days.

Good Science is about… Testing a Hypothesis What is SpongeBob’s hypothesis? a) He needs more flowers. b) Flower Power Fertilizer and water will both cause a plant to produce flowers. c) Flower Power Fertilizer will cause a plant to produce more flowers. d) Sandy’s favorite color is pink.

a) Size of the plants b) Amount of water c) Special fertilizer d) Number of flowers per plant Good Science is about… Knowing All of Your Variables What is SpongeBob’s independent (manipulated) variable?

a) Size of the plants b) Amount of water c) Special fertilizer d) Number of flowers per plant Good Science is about… Knowing All of Your Variables What is SpongeBob’s dependent (responding) variable?

Good Science is about… Knowing All of Your Variables a) Amount of special fertilizer b) Amount of potting soil c) Original size of plants d) Both B and C What variables did SpongeBob keep as constants?

Good Science is about… Comparing to a Control Group What is SpongeBob’s experimental group? a) The plant that got Flower Power Fertilizer b) The plant that got plain water c) Both plants d) He doesn’t have an experimental group

Good Science is about… Comparing to a Control Group What is SpongeBob’s control group? a) The plant that got Flower Power Fertilizer b) The plant that got plain water c) Both plants d) He doesn’t have a control group

Good Science is about… Collecting Reliable Data a) He had too many variables that weren’t controlled. b) He didn’t use fertilizer in both plants. c) He planted the plants in separate containers. d) He didn’t have a hypothesis. How will SpongeBob’s experiment make his results unreliable?

Experiment #3 Krusty the Clown was told that a certain itching powder was the newest best thing on the market; it even claims to cause 50% longer-lasting itches. Krusty buys the itching powder and compares it to his usual product. Subject A is sprinkled with the original itching powder, and Subject B is sprinkled with the Experimental itching powder. Subject A reported having itches for 30 minutes. Subject B reported having itches for 45 minutes.

Good Science is about… Comparing to a Control Group Who is Krusty’s control group? a) Subject A b) Subject B c) Both Subjects A & B d) He doesn’t have a control group

Good Science is about… Collecting Reliable Data : How could Krusty make his data more reliable? a) Test both itching powders on both subjects b) Include more people in his experiment c) Test the itching powders on himself d) A and B

Good Science is about… Using Ethical Practices : What should Krusty do to make sure that his experiment is ethical? a) Make sure the subjects aren’t allergic to any ingredients in the itching powder b) Inform the subjects about any possible side effects of the itching powder c) Only apply itching powder to people who have agreed to participate in the experiment d) All of the above