SOL Objectives
LS 1
A) Data are organized into tables showing repeated trials
B) Variables are defined
C) Metric units are used
E) Sources of error are identified
F) Dependent variables, independents variables, and constants are identified
G) Variables are controlled to test hypotheses and trials are repeated
J) An understanding of the nature of science is developed and reinforced
Unit Calendar: Subject to Change
Notes Page 2
1. A student conducted an experiment on plant
growth that required adding about one cupful of liquid fertilizer to several plants each week. In order to
accurately measure the fertilizer given to each plant,
the fertilizer volume should be measured in:
A. Cubic meters
B. Milliliters
C. Cubic feet
D. Kiloliters
2. The diagram shows a graduated cylinder containing water. From which position will the most
accurate measure of the volume of the water be
made?
A. Position 1
B. Position 2
C. Position 3
D.
3. Some snapdragon seeds were studied in the experiment above. The seeds were placed in a dish
lined with a moist paper towel. Which of these is
the independent (manipulated) variable in this
experiment?
A. The type of seed
B. The amount of water used
C. The number of sprouts
D. The temperature of each dish
4. A student wanted to test the hypothesis that
adding antifreeze to water lowers the freezing
point of water. The student found that pure water
froze at 0oC, while the water/antifreeze mixture
froze at -20 oC. In order to confirm the results,
the student should repeat the experiment using
a. A container of a different size
b. A different amount of antifreeze
c. A different amount of water
d. Exactly the same set-up as the first
experiment
5. Suppose that in a certain area, mice are the main food
source for wolves. Based on the graph, in which year would
there be the least amount of competition among wolves for
food?
A. 1975
B. 1980
C. 1985
D. 1990
6. An experiment determined that 20g of mass were gained
by a mouse on a corn diet, 15 g by a mouse on a rice diet,
and 18 g for the mouse on a grain diet. The corn-fed
mouse started out at 95g, the rice-fed at 98g, and the grain
-fed at 92g. Which of the following tables describes this
data and any other data that can be directly computed from
these numbers?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Notes Page 3
Hypothesis
Variable
Independent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
Constants
Control
Conclusion
Length
Mass
Volume
Temperature
A prediction
“If… then…”
Anything that changes
The part of the experiment that I, the experimenter, can change
The results or outcome
of the experiment
Anything that stays the
same
The part of the experiment that is used as
comparison .
What you have found out
as a result of the experiment.
Distance
Amount of matter in an
object
Amount of space an
object takes up
Amount of heat
in an object
Notes Page 4
The Mythbusters, Adam and Jamie,
wanted to learn whether diet coke and
mentos or diet coke and salt made a better explosion. They formed a
________________________: if dropping
mentos in diet soda makes it explode,
then dropping salt in diet soda would
cause a small explosion. They decided to
conduct an experiment. The
________________________ were plain water
and mentos and plain water with salt, because that would not react. They made
sure to have the same
________________________ of diet soda
(350mL), and to let the reactions run for
the same amount of time. The time and
the amount of liquid are the
________________________ in the experiment because they stay the same. They
also made sure that the
________________________ of the soda was the same, 25
degrees Celsius. The ________________________ are things
that change in the experiment. Jamie identified the item
to be added (salt, mentos) as the
________________________. Adam decided that distance,
or ________________________, traveled by the soda’s fizz
was the ________________________. They used the triple
beam balance to take the ________________________of the
mentos and salt to make sure they had 5 grams of each,
then ran the experiment. Their ________________________
was somewhat surprising since they found that table salt
actually yielded a larger reaction than mentos!
Notes Page 5
Pick 3 objects in the room. Gather 2-3 pieces of quantitative
data and 2-3 pieces of qualitative data about each item.
Object
Quantitative Data
Qualitative Data
Notes Page 6
DATA and Measurement Notes
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Notes Page 7
1. If I increase the temperature on the grill from 176
ºC (350ºF) to 250ºC (482ºF), then my chicken
will cook 15 minutes faster.
IV: ________________
DV: ________________
2. If I freeze 45mL of water, then the volume will
increase by at least 3mL.
IV: ________________
DV: ________________
3. If I add ice to my drink, then the temperature will
decrease by at least 15 degrees.
IV: ________________
DV: ________________
1. Pick one of the following potential experiments.
2. Determine the independent variable, dependent variable, hypothesis, and constants (at least 3).
Choice 1: The Effect of Science Quiz Scores on the Mood of a 7th Grade Student
Choice 2: The Effect of Player Injuries on a Football Team’s Win-Loss Record
Choice 3: The Effect of Hours of Practice on the Success of a Dancer
Choice 4: The Effect of Tardiness on a Student’s Grade
My choice: _______________________________________________________
IV: _____________________________________________________________
DV: _____________________________________________________________
Hypothesis: ______________________________________________________
Three Constants: ________________, ________________, ________________
Do it yourself:
I want to try:_____________________________________________________
IV: _____________________________________________________________
DV: _____________________________________________________________
Hypothesis: ______________________________________________________
Three Constants: ________________, ________________, ________________
Experimental design Notes
Notes Page 8
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I change the IV!
I measure the DV!
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Notes Page 9
Graph the following data
Puss In Boots
on Science
Diet
Number of
Hairballs
Week 1
10
Week 2
9
Week 3
8
Week 4
7
Week 5
8
Week 6
7
Week 7
8
Food
Number of
Hairballs
Friskies
16
Purina
15
Fancy Feast
25
Iams
12
Natural Organic
13
Science Diet
Hairball Control
8
GRAPHING
Notes Page 10
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When
graphing time,
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Notes Page 11
List the 7 components of a good data table and give an
example for each.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Set up a data table (DO NOT INCLUDE DATA) so that you
would be ready to collect data for the following experiment.
If I add 4g of salt to 500mL of water, it will boil faster than
water with no salt added.
Dealing with data notes
Notes Page 12
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Notes Page 13
Goal #1: I will understand metric units and be able to select the appropriate metric
measurement tool to gather quantitative or qualitative data.
1. __________________
2. __________________, __________________
3. __________________, __________________
4. __________________
5. __________________
6. __________________, __________________
Goal #2: I will understand identify independent variables, dependent variables, constants, and sources of error in an experiment.
1. ________________________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________, __________________________, __________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________________________
1.
2.
3.
Goal #4: I will organize data into tables showing repeated trials and means.
1. ____________________________________, ____________________________________,
____________________________________, ____________________________________,
2.
Personal reflections: school
Personal reflections: life