Experimental Design
A. What is the Scientific Method?The Scientific Method is various steps scientists perform in order to prove if something is either correct or incorrect.
Rhett, Allain. http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/04/whats-wrong-with-the-scientific-method/ |
B. Reference Links
C. Scientific Method StepsScientists use a more complex process to create an accurate conclusion to a hypothesis. Common people use a much simpler process involving less steps. The steps we use are as follows:
1. Ask a question. 2. Do some reasearch. 3. Construct a hypothesis. 4. Create an experiment. 5. Analyze your data. 6. Come to a conclusion and share it. |
D. Practicing the Scientific Method I explored 1) graphing, 2) identifying variables, 3) developing hypotheses, 4-5) designing a controlled experiment and 6) predicting results with a partner.
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E. Experimental Data
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F. VariablesPart 2: Potential environmental variables to consider:
1. The amount of rain the trees receives. 2.The amount of sunlight the trees get. 3. The weather the trees are grown in. G. HypothesisPart 3:
I selected variable 3 from a list of environmental variables I developed with a partner. The variable I picked is the weather the fruits were grown in. I predict that the apple trees planted in different weather environments will show different effects on the height of the apple trees. If my hypothesis is correct, I will observe that the tree's height will grow higher in an area with controlled weather than in a place with unexpected weather. Independent Variable: The weather Dependent Variable: Height of the trees. |
H. Experimental DesignPart 5: Experimental Procedure
For this experiment, you will need apple trees, water, same soil, and a ruler of fixed length.
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I. Control GroupsPart 4:
It is important to control variables in an experiment because if we didn't have any, we wouldn't know the main cause of the change in the experiment. Control Group: A group of apple trees in a greenhouse. Experimental Group:
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J. Expected Results
Part 6:
I would expect to see the apple trees grown in a greenhouse have a larger height than the trees grown in the two dry climates because the greenhouse has the perfect weather to grow apple trees. If my hypothesis that the weather will affect the height of the trees is true, I will see that the height of the apple trees grown in the two dry climates will be shorter than those grown in the greenhouse as measured by using a ruler of fixed length to measure the height of the trees.
I would expect to see the apple trees grown in a greenhouse have a larger height than the trees grown in the two dry climates because the greenhouse has the perfect weather to grow apple trees. If my hypothesis that the weather will affect the height of the trees is true, I will see that the height of the apple trees grown in the two dry climates will be shorter than those grown in the greenhouse as measured by using a ruler of fixed length to measure the height of the trees.