Scientific Method

Martin is presenting a question that he will answer with his science fair project. His question is: How fast do water and nutrients move up the stem of a carnation?

Which statement about Martin's question is correct?

• It is not testable because there is no experiment that can answer it?

• It is testable because it can be answered using an experiment.

• It is testable because the answer is in the encyclopedia.

• It is not testable because it is an opinion.

Jada is doing an experiment. She wants to find out if bananas go bad faster if they are in the refrigerator.

To find out, Jada will place five bananas on the counter. She will put five more in the refrigerator. She will record how many days it takes for each to turn brown.

Which is the best prediction Jada could make about her project?

• The bananas on the counter turned brown in five days

• Bananas taste better than apples.

• The bananas on the counter will turn brown first.

• Bananas go bad faster than pears.

Vanessa learns that helium is lighter than ordinary air, so it rises in ordinary air.

From this information, which is the best prediction Vanessa could make about a helium-filled balloon?

• The balloon will float, but not rise or fall.

• The balloon will sink to the ground

• The balloon will explode.

• The balloon will rise in the air.

A science class is studying the weather. Which of the following is a testable question that the class could ask about the weather and then answer by doing an experiment?

• How many inches will it rain in October?

• Who can make the best snowballs?

• Why do people think that rainbows have a pot of gold?

• What makes people like sunny weather?

Kendra wants to grow tomatoes in her vegetable garden. She is not sure, though, which type of tomatoes will grow best in her climate.

How could Kendra use science to help find out which type of tomatoes will grow best in her climate?

• She could do an experiment in which the only variable was the tomato plant type.

• Science is not a useful way to answer questions about the natural world.

• She could grow one variety of tomato plant and count how many fruits it produced.

• She could ask her science teacher which variety of tomato the teacher preferred.

What information would help a student make a good prediction about whether an object will float?

• knowing why some objects float

• observations from a past test about floating

• measurements of other things that float

• all of these

Which of the following is true?

• Measuring is never used to collect data during scientific investigations.

• All scientific investigations involve laboratory experiments.

• Observing is one way to collect data.

• Taking a survey is the only way to collect data.

Janice wants to grow flowers in her backyard. She has four types of dirt that she could use, but she is unsure of which type would allow the flowers to grow the best. In order to figure this out, she sets up an investigation. Janice puts each type of soil in a different pot and plants a flower in each pot.

What scientific question should Janice ask from her experiment?

• Which soil type allows the flower to grow the most?

• Which soil type is preferred by most people?

• Which soil looks the best?

• Which soil is the oldest?

Joe must choose a science project. He wants to do an experiment.

Which should he choose to answer?

• Does salt water boil faster than plain water?

• How tall are the trees in the rain forest?

• Do more people visit the library on Saturday or Sunday?

• What are my friends' favorite pizza toppings?

Lucy lives near a small pond. Lucy is studying the spread of the invasive plant called purple loosestrife near the pond. Every month for the past two years, she has counted the number of loosestrife plants near the pond. She has also counted the number of other plants, such as cattails, found at the pond over the years.

What question can Lucy answer using the data she has collected?

• Do ducks like to nest in loosestrife plants more than in cattail plants?

• Has the number of cattails gone down as the number of loosestrife plants has gone up?

• What is the best temperature for growing loosestrife plants and cattail plants?

• Do songbirds eat the seeds produced by the loosestrife plants?