Agenda Warm Up Scientific Method PPT Show Redi illustration Scientific Method Flow Chart Scientific Method Controls and variables worksheet 2011

The Scientific Method - A series of steps used to solve problems 2011

The Scientific Method 1. Identify the problem. - Make observations - Leads to a question: How do new living things, or organisms, come into being? Yummy Maggots!

2. Form a hypothesis - Predict the answer to your question / problem - Redi’s Hypothesis: Flies produce maggots They thought maggots came from rotten meat The Scientific Method

3. Perform an experiment - Where only one variable is changed at a time Wire Gauze Tightly Sealed: Maggotsdo not appear Gauze Sealed: A few maggots appear Open: MaggotsDon’t Appear Wire Gauze The Scientific Method

 Variables  what you measure in an experiment  dependent variable  measured variable  unpredictable change: we don’t know how it will change until we do the experiment  independent variable  manipulated variable  predictable change: it only changes because we chose how it would change  Constants  A variable that cannot change during an experiment Types of data (information) The effect of _____________ on _____________ INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT

4. Record and Analyze results - Make notes of the results and your analysis Tightly Sealed: Maggotsdo not appear Gauze Sealed: A few maggots appear Open: MaggotsDon’t Appear Independent Variables: Use of Gauze or Cap Dependent Variables: Whether Maggots appear or not Constant Variables: Flasks, meat, location, temp The Scientific Method

5. Draw a conclusion - Was the hypothesis supported or refuted? - Redi concluded that maggots come from flies Tightly Sealed: Maggotsdo not appear Gauze Sealed: A few maggots appear Open: MaggotsDon’t Appear The Scientific Method

6. Communicate the results - Be prepared for questions Tightly Sealed: Maggotsdo not appear Gauze Sealed: A few maggots appear Open: MaggotsDon’t Appear The Scientific Method

Any Questions??

Scientific Method Video

Graphing Your Data Showing patterns & trends A picture is worth a thousand words!

 Variables  what you measure in an experiment  dependent variable  measured variable  unpredictable change: we don’t know how it will change until we do the experiment  Y-axis  independent variable  manipulated variable  predictable change: it only changes because we chose how it would change  X-axis Types of data (information) The effect of _____________ on _____________ INDEPENDENT DEPENDENT

Examples of experiments 1  How does fertilizer affect the growth rate of plants?  we set up an experiment testing different amounts of fertilizer on different plants & measuring the growth (height) of the plants:  dependent variable (Y-axis)?  height of plants  independent variable (X-axis)?  amount of fertilizer The effect of _____________ on _____________ Amount of Fertilizer Height of Plants

Examples of experiments 2  How does exercise affect heart rate of 10th grade student?  we set up an experiment testing different lengths of time of exercise (minutes) on the heart rate of students:  dependent variable (Y-axis)?  heart rate  independent variable (X-axis)?  minutes of exercise The effect of _____________ on _____________ Exercise Heart Rate

Examples of experiments 3  What’s the favorite drink of students?  we set up an experiment surveying students and asking which is their favorite drink :  dependent variable (Y-axis)?  number of students  independent variable (X-axis)?  type of drink The effect of _____________ on _____________ Type of Drink How many students chose it

Making pictures out of data  Graphs  line graphs  graphing data that shows continuous change  bar graphs (or histograms)  graphing data that is in disconnected groups How’s a critter to choose?

How does elevation affect temperature? elevation temperature elevation (feet above sea level) temp. (°C) ft? 1818 Line graph! 1200

Which drink do you like best? type of drink number of students CokePepsiwaterteaGatorade 0 drinknumber Coke1 Pepsi1 Water4 Iced tea4 Gatorade3 Red Bull? RB Bar graph!

Any Questions??