Scientific Inquiry

A paper airplane is thrown across the room. The distance the airplane traveled is measured. Then, a paper airplane made with a different type of paper is thrown across the room.  The distance is measured.  This is repeated two more times with two more different types of paper.
Short Answer on Test: What question was this experiment trying to answer?

• How does the type of paper of a paper airplane affect how far it will travel?
• How does the color of paper of a paper airplane affect how far it will travel?
• How far will a blue paper airplane travel?
• None of the above

A paper airplane is thrown across the room. The distance the airplane traveled is measured. Then, a paper airplane made with a different type of paper is thrown across the room.  The distance is measured.  This is repeated two more times with two more different types of paper.
Short Answer on Test: What tool would you use to help you measure the distance the paper airplane traveled?

• Magnifying Glass
• Balance or Scale
• Meter Stick or Ruler
• Protractor

How would you use a meter stick to measure the distance a paper airplane travels.

• Start measuring where the paper airplane was thrown from.  Stop measuring where the paper plane landed.
• Start measuring near the place where the airplane was thrown. Stop measuring when you get to the wall.

Linda heard that the heavier an object is, the faster it will fall to the ground if dropped. Which is the best way for Linda to test this?

• She can weigh different objects.
• Linda can make a heavy object.
• She can drop objects of different weights and measure how much time they take to reach the ground.
• Linda can record the different weights of objects.

Zach has a chicken egg, duck egg, and hummingbird egg.  He drops each one of them in a glass of water. What question was Zach trying to figure out?

• Which egg tastes the best?
• Which egg or eggs will float?
• Which egg will cook the fastest?
• Which egg looks the prettiest?

Which of the following is a scientific question?

• How much does the dog weigh?
• Is a freezer cold?
• Are Snickers better than Kit Kats?
• Are kittens soft?

Skittles Experiment
You are going to do a science experiment with skittles and milk. You will pour vinegar in a cup and add one Skittle.  Then, you will observe what happens.
Which question best fits the experiment?

• What does vinegar taste like?
• What color Skittle looks the best in the vinegar?
• What will happen when you put the Skittle into the cup of vinegar?