Nature of Science Review

Start-Up:

In the Chat Box...

Tyrone is about to perform an investigation to determine whether rainwater drains more quickly through soil made mostly of sand or soil made mostly of clay.

Look carefully at the following picture. Has Tyrone set up his investigation correctly? Explain why or why not.

Start-Up:

On your Start-Up Paper...

Tyrone is about to perform an investigation to determine whether rainwater drains more quickly through soil made mostly of sand or soil made mostly of clay.

Look carefully at the following picture. Has Tyrone set up his investigation correctly? Explain why or why not.

Multiple Choice

During a scientific investigation, which step will a scientist perform first?

• Collect and organize data

• Plan the experimental procedure

• Define a problem to investigate

• Defend conclusions drawn from data

During a scientific investigation, which step will a scientist perform first?

• Define a problem to investigate

Multiple Choice

Which step gives you the evidence to know if your hypothesis is supported?

• Collect and organize data

• Plan the experimental procedure

• Define a problem to investigate

• Defend conclusions drawn from data

Which step gives you the evidence to know if your hypothesis is supported?

• Collect and organize data

All experiments have a CONTROL GROUP

Multiple Choice

Jessica is testing how well rubber bands can stretch when they are at different temperatures. She has three groups of rubber bands: one group is at room temperature, one in the freezer, and one heated in the microwave. Which is the control group?

• rubber bands at room temperature

• rubber bands in the freezer

• rubber bands in the microwave

• there is no control group in this experiment

Multiple Choice

When Jacob was cutting a bush, he found a caterpillar. He put the branch with the caterpillar in a cage. He will feed the caterpillar leaves from the plant. He hopes to watch it go through metamorphosis and change into a butterfly. Why is this NOT an experiment?

• Jacob is doing this activity under carefully controlled conditions.

• No variable is being tested.

• No observations are being made.

• An experiment is repeatable.

No variable is tested.

When Jacob was cutting a bush, he found a caterpillar. He put the branch with the caterpillar in a cage. He will feed the caterpillar leaves from the plant. He hopes to watch it go through metamorphosis and change into a butterfly. Why is this NOT an experiment?

Multiple Choice

Researchers grew some bacteria in a lab and tested them with different antibiotics. The results are shown in the table.

Based on the

data table which of the following is a correct statement?

• Trial 2 is the control group because it's not being tested with an antibiotic.

• The bacteria is the test variable (independent variable).

• The antibiotics are the outcome variable (dependent variable).

• The amount of bacteria is what is being tested.

Trial 2 is the control group

Researchers grew some bacteria in a lab and tested them with different antibiotics. The results are shown in the table.

Based on the

data table which of the following is a correct statement?

Multiple Choice

Controlled scientific experiments include variables. One kind of variable is a test variable and the other kind is an outcome variable. Which statement describes the difference between a test variable (independent variable) and an outcome variable (dependent variable)?

• The outcome variable is what is tested and the test variable is what's measured and observed.

• The test variable does not change and the outcome variable does not change

• The test variable is what is tested and the outcome variable is what's measured and observed.

• The test variable stays the same and the outcome variable stays the same

Multiple Choice

Sonia investigates how far a rubber band stretches when she suspends an increasing amount of weight from it. The graph shows her data. Based on this data, which one is the outcome variable(dependent variable)?

• band type

• stretch

• time

• weight

Stretch

Sonia investigates how far a rubber band stretches when she suspends an increasing amount of weight from it. The graph shows her data. Based on this data, which one is the outcome variable(dependent variable)?

Multiple Choice

Sonia investigates how far a rubber band stretches when she suspends an increasing amount of weight from it. The graph shows her data. Based on this data, which one is the tested variable (independent variable)?

• band type

• stretch

• time

• weight

Weight

Sonia investigates how far a rubber band stretches when she suspends an increasing amount of weight from it. The graph shows her data. Based on this data, which one is the tested variable (independent variable)?

Multiple Choice

Which is the outcome variable (dependent variable) in the bar graph?

• Weeks of growth

• Type of fertilizer put on the plants

• Growth of plants in centimeters

• The amount of sunlight each plant received

Growth of plants

Which is the outcome variable (dependent variable) in the bar graph?

Multiple Choice

Which is the tested variable (independent variable) in the bar graph?

• Weeks of growth

• Type of fertilizer put on the plants

• Growth of plants in centimeters

• The amount of sunlight each plant received

Weeks of growth

Which is the tested variable (independent variable) in the bar graph?

Multiple Choice

Renee rolls a steel ball down a ramp. She conducts multiple trials by releasing the ball from different heights on the ramp. For each trial, she measures and records the release height of the ball and the distance the ball travels away from the ramp before falling to the ground. The figure below shows the experiment.

In this experiment, which variable is the test variable (independent variable)

• type of ball used

• path of the ball once it leaves the ramp

• height from which the ball is released

• time it takes the ball to hit the ground

height of release

Renee rolls a steel ball down a ramp. She conducts multiple trials by releasing the ball from different heights on the ramp. For each trial, she measures and records the release height of the ball and the distance the ball travels away from the ramp before falling to the ground. The figure below shows the experiment.

Which variable is the test variable (independent variable)?

Multiple Choice

Renee rolls a steel ball down a ramp. She conducts multiple trials by releasing the ball from different heights on the ramp. For each trial, she measures and records the release height of the ball and the distance the ball travels away from the ramp before falling to the ground. The figure below shows the experiment.

In this experiment, which variable is the outcome variable (dependent variable)

• type of ball used

• path of the ball once it leaves the ramp

• height from which the ball is released

• time it takes the ball to hit the ground

time to hit ground

Renee rolls a steel ball down a ramp. She conducts multiple trials by releasing the ball from different heights on the ramp. For each trial, she measures and records the release height of the ball and the distance the ball travels away from the ramp before falling to the ground. The figure below shows the experiment.

Which variable is the outcome variable (independent variable)?

Poll

How comfortable do you feel with the topics covered in this review?