Scientific Inquiry

​Scientific Inquiry

By William Henderson

​10 Minute Research Activity

​You are to research and find 4 different sites to the following question: "How does scientific inquiry differ from scientific investigations?"

You are to write 2-3 sentences in the proper box that summarizes what you learned from the website you chose to answer the question. Be sure to cite the website.

​Important Vocabulary: Write these words and definitions on a piece of paper and turn in when completed.

​1. Problem/Purpose: the question you are trying to answer in an investigation

2. Observation: using your senses or measurements to describe something

3. Qualitative Observation: describing something using 1 or more of your 5 senses.

4. Quantitative Observation: describing something in terms of numbers or measurements.

5. Inference: making an educated guess using what you already know

6. Hypothesis: a type of inference; your "guess" to what the outcome of an investigation could be.

7. Variable: anything that could change in an investigation

​Important Vocab Continued

​8. Independent (Manipulated) Variable): what you change; or what you are testing in an investigation; your choices

9. Dependent (Responding) Variable): the results of the investigation; what is being measured; this changes because you changed something

10. Constant Variable: anything in an investigation that NEVER changes; stays the same throughout

11. Data: anything that was learned or measured in an investigation

12. Graph: A visual way to show data learned from an investigation

13. Bar Graph: a type of graph used when comparing data

14. Line Graph: a type of graph to show how certain data has changed over time

​Important Vocabulary Continued

​15. Circle/Pie Graph: a graph used to show parts of a whole; uses percentages

16. Valid Investigation: an investigation that only tests 1 thing (you only change 1 thing

17. Reliable Investigation: an investigation that gives similar to the exact same results each time the investigation in completed

​Scientific Inquiry Information:

​All scientific knowledge and discoveries were learned by first observing the world and asking questions about it.
"Why does", "How does", "What if", "How can I", and so on and so forth.

There are two types of observations--> qualitative and quantitative.
Qualitative describes something use your senses.
"The pie cooking in the stove smells like a basket of fruit."
" Wow! That mountain over there is so tall!"
Quantitative describes something using number or measurements.
"Coach Henderson stands an even 6 feet tall.
"Currently it is 76 degrees outside."
"I had several students miss my class because they were on a field
trip."

Multiple Choice

I took a drink of the glass of milk and it tasted sour!

• qualitative

• quantitative

• neither

Multiple Choice

I got stung by a yellow jacket yesterday and it hurt!

• qualitative

• quantitative

Multiple Choice

The custodians, as they were cleaning the school, noticed that 10 chairs in Mr. Fortner's room had cracks in them.

• qualitative

• quantitative

Multiple Choice

Several cars received flat tires as the drove over the nail that was left on the highway.

• qualitative

• quantitative

​Problem/Purpose/Hypothesis

​Once you've decided what you want to learn about, you decide on question you want to answer. This question is known as the problem or purpose.
"Are hummingbirds truly attracted to the color red more so than other colors?

Once you've determined the problem or purpose of your investigation, you develop a hypothesis. You do this by researching information (ex. what color of flowers do hummingbirds feed on?) or by thinking about what you have learned or observed on the subject in the past. This is also called making an inference. A hypothesis MUST be written in a "I think.... because...." or If......then....." statement.
"I think hummingbirds prefer the color red because my mom has to refill her red hummingbird feeder on a weekly basis." OR If my mom is having to refill her red hummingbird feeder on a weekly basis, then hummingbirds must prefer the color red."

Open Ended

You are wondering if its better to feed your pet horse hay or multigrain oats to keep them healthy. Write a correct problem or purpose for this investigation.

Open Ended

Write a correct hypothesis for the following purpose:

Will my German Shepard live longer being fed a high protein diet or a high carbohydrate diet?

​Procedures/Testing

​Now its time to test, to see if your hypothesis is correct. If it turns out to be wrong, that's ok! It means you learned something.

To do the test, you must know your variables. There are three types and are as follows:
Independent (Manipulated): This is what you are testing; think of it as your choices. You test this first, then switch it out to test something else. It is what you specifically change in the investigation

Dependent (Responding): this is the results you receive from the investigation; what is or has been measured. It changed because you changed something.

Constant: any/everything that stayed the exact same during the investigation.

​Identifying Your Variables

​Purpose/Problem: Do hummingbirds truly prefer the color red over other colors?
Hypothesis: I think hummingbirds do prefer the color red because my mom has to refill her red hummingbird feeder on a weekly basis.

Procedure: You bought 5 different hummingbird feeders; one clear; one green; one blue; one red. You fill each feeder with 12 ounces of room temperature water diluted with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. You hang all four feeders from hooks attached to the overhang of your back porch 6 inches apart from each other. You leave them there for a week (5 days). At the end of the 5th day, you measure how much water remained in each feeder. The feeder with the least amount of water is the one hummingbirds preferred.

Now, you must identify your variables.

​Identifying Your Variables Continued

​You bought 5 different hummingbird feeders; one clear; one green; one blue; one red. You fill each feeder with 12 ounces of room temperature water diluted with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. You hang all four feeders from hooks attached to the overhang of your back porch 6 inches apart from each other. You leave them there for a week (5 days). At the end of the 5th day, you measure how much water remained in each feeder. The feeder with the least amount of water is the one hummingbirds preferred.

Independent: What did you specifically test or change? What are the choices that you have? Answer: the color of the feeders

Dependent: What results were you looking for? What were you measuring? Answer: the amount of water in the each feeder at the end of five days (this changed because you changed the color of the feeders.)

​​You bought 5 different hummingbird feeders; one clear; one green; one blue; one red. You fill each feeder with 12 ounces of room temperature water diluted with 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar. You hang all four feeders from hooks attached to the overhang of your back porch 6 inches apart from each other. You leave them there for a week (5 days). At the end of the 5th day, you measure how much water remained in each feeder. The feeder with the least amount of water is the one hummingbirds preferred.

Constant: What things (always more thn one) stayed the same throughout the investigation?
amount of water in each feeder, amount of sugar diluted in each feeder, placement of feeders, the distance between each feeder, the length of time the feeders were hung

Open Ended

Identify the independent and dependent variables from the video.

Open Ended

Identify the independent and dependent variables from the video.

​Identifying Variables Using Just the Problem/Purpose of an Investigation

​Are snakes more active during the spring or fall months?
Independent: what are your choices (look for the word "or"; or the word "and".
spring/fall (you count the number of snakes in the spring, then switch and count the number of snakes seen in the fall
Dependent: what results are you looking for; what are you measuring?
number of snakes seen

Do mountain ecosystems or swamp ecosystems receive more precipitation yearly?
Independent: Look for the magic word; think what you're testing/Changing-->
Mountain/Swamp Ecosystems
Dependent: What are you measuring? ---> amount of precipitation yearly

Multiple Choice

Will a Toyota Camry with a full tank of gasoline travel further going an average of 60 mph than one with that is electric with a fully charged battery?

Independent variable =

• type of "fuel source"

• Brand of car

• distance car travels

• type of roadway

Multiple Select

Will my first period students score better on the multiple choice science test sitting at tables with dividers or at individual desks?

Independent variable =>

• score on the test

• temperature of the room

• where the students sit

• type of test

Multiple Choice

Do middle aged adults prefer to listen to country or classical music?

Dependent variable =>

• the radio stations

• the type of music

• the age of the adults

• number of adults that prefer country vs classical music

Multiple Choice

Which bone is injured most in athletes that paly high school football: arm, leg, sternum, or clavicle?

Dependent variable:

• the type of sport played

• number of injuries seen with each type of bone

• the age football is being played

• the type of bone injured playing football

​Your Turn.
*** One Last Practice: On the handout, determine the variables for all the EVEN problems on the sheet. (IPW)


***Please log in to Schoology and click on the purple folder entitled, Inquiry and Lab Safety. In that folder, you will see an activity entitled, " Identifying Variables. Complete this 12 question activity which will be a classwork grade.

​Showing Your Results

​Once you have complete the investigation, its time to show your results. You do this by creating a data table and a graph.

A data table is nothing more than a chart that shows your variables (what you tested and the results). The independent variable goes in the left column and the dependent variable goes in the right hand column(s).

Ex:

​Color of Feeder	​Amount of Water Remaining
​Clear	​9 oz.
​Green	​11 oz.
​Red	​3 oz.
​Blue	​8 oz.

​Showing Your Results Continued

​Once you've completed your data chart, then its time to graph the data. But what type of graph will you use?
Bar: you use this when you're comparing data
Line: you use this when showing how data has changed over a certain time period
Circle/Pie: you use this when you are showing how your data is part of a whole group (ex. taking a poll)

​Creating a graph:

1. All graphs have an x axis (horizontal line) and a Y axis (vertical line)

2. Title your graph ( ex: Color hummingbirds prefer

3. Place your variables on the graph. Your independent variable goes on the X axis and your dependent variable goes on the Y axis
Remember this by the acronym DRY MIX
D Dependent
R Responding
Y axis
M manipulated I Independent X axis

4. Why X and Y axis meet, place a 0, and based on the data you receive determine your increments (what you will count up by on the Y axis). To do this look at the smallest number in your data set and the largest number. Decide if you should count by 1s, 2s, 3s, 5s, 10s, etc.

5. Be sure to also label your X and Y axis,

​Graphing

​The title of my graph will be Hummingbird Color Preference.

Since the color of the feeders were mere independent variable, this will go on the X axis and the amount of water remaining was my dependent variable, this will go on my Y axis.

In my data, the lowest amount of water left was 3 oz. and the highest amount of water left was 11 oz. I use this to decide my increments on the Y axis. I feel it best to count up by 2s (0,2,4,6,8,12,14). Go only 1-2 numbers higher than your top data amount.

You are comparing the amount of water left in each colored container, so you will use a bar graph. (See board for this example).

Draw

Draw a correct graph for the following information:

0mph-60mph Acceleration Times for Certain Vehicles:

Chevy Camaro: 5 seconds

Toyota Supra 3.8 seconds

Ford Mustang: 4 seconds

Dodge Charger: 3.5 seconds

Draw

Draw a correct graph for the following information:

Bean Plant Growth per Week for 6 Weeks Given 2 Cups of Sugar Water Weekly:

Week 1: 2 in.

Week 2: 2 in.

Week 3: 4 in.

Week 4: 5 in.

Week 6. 3 in.

(in. = inches)

​Analyzing Graphs

​When analyzing a graph, you need to look at all information that the graph provides.
1. Look at the title to determine what was being investigated.
2. Look at the X axis to identify your independent variable and the Y axis to identify your dependent variable.
3. If its a bar graph, determine the values of each bar. If a line graph, the value of each point. Be able to make comparisons within the different ideas that are graphed.
4. Be able to look at the graph as a whole to make predictions.
5. Be able to look at the graph and determine why the results are as they are.

We will use a website known as Turner's Graph of the Week to practice this throughout the year.
In fact, let's practice one now; then do one for a grade. :)

​Valid and Reliable Investigations

​A great investigation should be both valid and reliable.
To be valid means that you only tested one thing at a time (you only have 1 independent variable).
To be reliable means that you did the investigation several times and received the same results with each test.

The hummingbird investigation was valid because only the color of the feeder was changed. Everything else stayed the same.

It was not reliable because it was only done once.

Multiple Choice

Paula decided to test to see if double A Energizer batteries last longer than double A Duracell and double A Rayovac batteries. She placed each in a small flashlight and turned it on. She timed how long each flashlight stayed lit and recorded this on a data table. She performed the test 3 different times and received the same results. This investigation was:

• reliable only

• valid only

• both valid and reliable

• neither valid nor reliable

Multiple Choice

Willis investigated to Ford Bronco received better gas mileage than his Chevy Tahoe. He placed 14 gallons of premium gas in his Bronco and regular unleaded gas in his Tahoe. He drove each down the interstate until it ran out of gas. He refilled the cars with the same amount of fuel and did the test twice more. Each time the Bronco traveled further on the full tank of gas. This investigation was:

• valid but not reliable

• reliable but not valid

• neither valid nor reliable

• both valid and reliable

Multiple Choice

Minnie investigated to learn if a solar panel produced more amps of electricity compared to a wind turbine. She placed a large solar panel in a field with unobstructed sunlight and a wind turbine down by the seashore where she knew the wind blew daily. She measured the amount of amps of electricity each produced for one day. The wind turbine produced mor amps of electricity than the solar panel. This investigation was:

• Reliable but not valid

• Both reliable and valid

• Valid but not reliable

• Neither reliable nor valid

Open Ended

Mr. Douglas investigated to see if his students in his math class scored better on pencil paper test vs. computer based tests. He gave a paper and pencil geometry test to 1/2 his students and a multiplication computer based test to the other half of his students. He did this for all 3 of his class periods. The students taking the test on the computer scored better each time. Explain if Mr. Douglas' investigation was both valid and reliable. Be sure to tell why or why not.

Open Ended

Use the space below to explain 4 concepts you've learned during this unit. Be specific about what you've learned. Don't just say something like, " I learned about variables." Inform me what you have learned about variables.