1. Famous Experiments from History
For each experiment look at the information and state:
The hypothesis
Independent and dependent variables
Any control variables.
The results / what happened.
The conclusions made because of the experiment.

2. Eratosthenes– How does the distance north affect the length of shadows?
Eratosthenes of Cyrene was a Greek polymath. He was a man of learning, becoming the chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria. He invented the discipline of geography.
He was interested in a comment somebody wrote about shadows on the longest day of the year and this gave him the idea to measure the Earth, using only 2 sticks and a friend.

3. Galileo Galilei – How does the mass of an object affect how long it takes to fall?
Galileo Galilei was an Italian astronomer, physicist and engineer, sometimes described as the "father of modern science“, because he used experiments to test his hypotheses.
The philosopher Aristotle said that heavy objects fall faster than light objects but no one had actually done the experiment to measure this. Galileo decided to test this idea.

4. Rachel Carson– How do pesticides affect the welfare of wild birds and animals?
Rachel Louise Carson was an American marine biologist, whose book Silent Spring and other writings started the modern environmental movement.
A new pesticide called DDT was being used in huge amounts. The chemical companies said it was safe and only affected pest species. Rachel decided to go and observe if this was true.

5. Stanley Milgram– Will people torture and kill a person if a somebody tells them to?
Stanley Milgram was an American psychologist, who was interested in the relationship between power and obedience. Milgram was influenced by the events of the Holocaust, and wondered why normal Germans took part in the terrible things that happened.
Were those people psychopaths or would most people in the same situation have done the same things?

6. Vera Rubin– How does distance from the centre of a galaxy affect the speed of orbit of stars?
Vera Rubin was an American astronomer who was interested in the rotation of galaxies.
She used new technology to test a simple idea, stars further from the centre of the galaxy should orbit slower. But the results of her experiment changed all of astronomy.

7. Dr Donald Unger– Does cracking your knuckles give you arthritis?
When Dr. Donald L. Unger was a child, his mother and other relatives told him that cracking his knuckles would cause arthritis. Instead of just ignoring their warnings, Unger decided to take their hypothesis into his own hands. Literally.

8. Other experiments to investigate
Antoine Lavoisier -  Does the total mass change during chemical reactions?
Christian Doppler - How does the speed of movement affect the pitch of sound waves?
Michelson–Morley – How is the speed of light different in different directions?
Henrietta Leavitt – How does the brightness of variable stars relate to their period?
Rosenhan – Can doctors tell the difference between sane and insane people?
Edward Jenner – Does cowpox protect people against deadly smallpox?
Virginia Apgar – How can we quickly test the health of new born babies?
Van Helmont – Do trees eat soil as they grow?