Validity, Reliability & Accuracy

1. Validity, Reliability & Accuracy  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 to 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 fertilized water. He places the other plant on a shelf in a closet and waters it with plain water every other day.  Explain what SpongeBob did wrong in this experiment. Make sure in your explanation you use validity, reliability or accuracy.  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 to 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 fertilized water. He places the other plant on a shelf in a closet and waters it with plain water every other day.  Explain what SpongeBob did wrong in this experiment. Make sure in your explanation you use validity, reliability or accuracy.

2. Validity, Reliability & Accuracy  Patrick loves bubble gum and would like to be able to blow bigger bubbles than anyone else in Bikini Bottom. To prepare for the Bikini Bottom Big Bubble Contest, he bought five different brands of bubble gum. He chewed each brand of bubble gum one time to see which brand would give him the biggest bubble.  Explain using validity, reliability or accuracy why this experiment isn’t correct.  How could you rewrite this experiment and make it valid, reliable & accurate?  Patrick loves bubble gum and would like to be able to blow bigger bubbles than anyone else in Bikini Bottom. To prepare for the Bikini Bottom Big Bubble Contest, he bought five different brands of bubble gum. He chewed each brand of bubble gum one time to see which brand would give him the biggest bubble.  Explain using validity, reliability or accuracy why this experiment isn’t correct.  How could you rewrite this experiment and make it valid, reliable & accurate?

3. TQ & Hypothesis  Gary is not the smartest snail in Bikini Bottom and believes he can improve his brain power by eating Super Snail Snacks. In order to test this hypothesis, he recruits SpongeBob and several snail friends to help him with his experiment. The snails ate one snack with each meal every day for three weeks. SpongeBob created a test and gave it to the snails before they started eating the snacks as well as after three weeks.  Write a testable question for the experiment – make sure you identify the Independent and dependent variables  Write a hypothesis for the experiment  Gary is not the smartest snail in Bikini Bottom and believes he can improve his brain power by eating Super Snail Snacks. In order to test this hypothesis, he recruits SpongeBob and several snail friends to help him with his experiment. The snails ate one snack with each meal every day for three weeks. SpongeBob created a test and gave it to the snails before they started eating the snacks as well as after three weeks.  Write a testable question for the experiment – make sure you identify the Independent and dependent variables  Write a hypothesis for the experiment

Validity, Reliability & Accuracy  4. Explain why it is important to ensure that only one variable at a time is changed during a scientific experiment  A. Changing only one variable ensures the question is testable  B. Changing only one variable ensures that the experiment is accurate  C. Changing only one variable ensures that the experiment is reliable  D. Changing only one variable ensures that the experiment is valid  5. Which of the following would help ensure the reliability of a scientific experiment?  A. multiple trials and average the data  B. test multiple variables  C. control of constants  D. all of the above  4. Explain why it is important to ensure that only one variable at a time is changed during a scientific experiment  A. Changing only one variable ensures the question is testable  B. Changing only one variable ensures that the experiment is accurate  C. Changing only one variable ensures that the experiment is reliable  D. Changing only one variable ensures that the experiment is valid  5. Which of the following would help ensure the reliability of a scientific experiment?  A. multiple trials and average the data  B. test multiple variables  C. control of constants  D. all of the above

Validity, Reliability & Accuracy  6. Why is the following experiment not valid?  Jay wants to know which type of balloon will take the shortest time to blow up. He filled one round balloon with air from a bicycle pump. He filled a long thin balloon with air from a compressor. The third balloon in the shape of Mickey Mouse he blew up himself.  A. the question involves someone’s opinion  B. there are too many variables  C. the answers can be found by research  D. the question is so broad that there are may be many possible answers  6. Why is the following experiment not valid?  Jay wants to know which type of balloon will take the shortest time to blow up. He filled one round balloon with air from a bicycle pump. He filled a long thin balloon with air from a compressor. The third balloon in the shape of Mickey Mouse he blew up himself.  A. the question involves someone’s opinion  B. there are too many variables  C. the answers can be found by research  D. the question is so broad that there are may be many possible answers