The Scientific Method

There are 12 cows in the field.

• Qualitative data
• Quantitative data

Sabrina wants to test which brand of popcorn pops the most kernels.  She picked a Giant Eagle brand, Orville Redenbacher, and PopSecret.  All three bags started with the same number of kernels.  She popped each for 3 minutes in the same microwave, and then counted the number of kernels left over.  What is her independent variable?

• Number of kernels left over
• Brand of popcorn
• Number of kernels before popping
• Length of time cooking

Kira wants to test which type of soda creates the biggest foam explosion when adding a Mentos candy.  She chose Sprite, Coke, and Mountain Dew.  One at a time, she added a single Mentos candy and measured the height of the foam eruption.  Mountain Dew created a foam eruption of 7 inches.  Coke and Sprite tied at 5 inches.  What is her dependent variable?

• Brand of soda
• Number of mentos candies used
• Height of foam eruption
• Temperature of soda

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

What is an observation?

• A scientific statement based on ideas
• Using your senses to notice what is going on around you
• To be unaware of your surroundings
• An educated guess

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-8

What is a dependent variable?

• the variable that causes the change

• the variable that remains the same

• the variable that responds to a change

• the manipulated variable

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

What is a control group in an experiment?

• a group in an experiment that remains unchanged for purpose of comparison (missing the IV)
• a group in an experiment that changes to compare the IV and DV variables
• the manipulated group
• the group that is altered

The factor in an experiment that the scientist changes:

• dependent variable

• independent variable

• controlled variable

• responding variable

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS1-2

Which of the following is a quantitative observation?

• The bird is very colorful.
• The bird has 4 different colors on him.
• The bird has many, many feathers.
• It is a bird. 

What is a qualitative observation about this image? 

• There are 10 mini trees in the picture. 
• There are two colored bushes in the picture. 
• There is one power line going across in the air. 
• There is art created from trees in this photo. 

What is the first step in the scientific method?

• Make an observation
• Design and conduct an experiment
• Make an hypothesis
• Share your results