INT SEPS 3.1: Experimental Design

Maya designed an experiment to answer the following question: How does the amount of water given to a lima

bean seed affect how tall it grows?

In this experiment, what variable should Maya CHANGE?

• the amount of water

• the kind of plant

• the type of soil

• the amount of sunlight it gets

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NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

Esther became interested in insulation while her parent’s new house was being built. She decided to determine which insulation transferred the least heat. She filled each of 5 jars half-full with water.

She sealed each jar with a plastic lid.Then she wrapped each jar with a different kind of insulation. She put the jars outside in the direct sunlight. Later, she measured the temperature of the water in each jar. What is the independent variable?

• The type of insulation

• The temperature of the water

• Number of houses

• The amount of sunlight

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NGSS.MS-PS3-3

NGSS.MS-PS3-4

The type of variable that responds to the experiment and is what you measure or count to determine if your hypothesis is true.

• Independent
• Dependent
• Control

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NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Thomas tests different types of liquids to see which will grow his plants the most. He has water, soda, milk, and no liquid at all. What is the control group?

• the one with water

• the one with soda

• the one with milk

• the one with no liquid

Three baseball players investigate to see who can throw a baseball the farthest. They mark off an area on the playground for their investigation. Which should they keep constant?

• height of the players
• color of the balls thrown
• order in which the players throw
• spot from which the players throw

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Dory set up an experiment to see how the mass of a ball affects the distance it rolls off a ramp. What is the dependent variable?

• distance traveled by the ball
• height of the ramp
• mass of the ball
• ball type

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

Cindy wanted to find out how the amount of sunlight affects the growth of plants. She placed a tomato plant in 6 identical 10 inch pots with the same amount and type potting soil. She watered them ¼ cup each day. 3 plants were placed under a cardboard box and 3 plants were placed in the sunlight. She measured the growth of the plant each week for three weeks.

What is the dependent variable?

• Using the same type of plant

• Each plant was placed in a 10 inch pot

• The growth of the plant

• 3 plants in the sunlight and 3 plants under a box

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

An experiment is performed on plants to see how different liquids affect plant growth. Each plant in the experiment is given a different liquid; water, apple juice, or milk. Each plant has the same amount of soil, sunlight, and listens to the same music. In this investigation, the independent variable is ...

• The type of plant
• The amount of sunlight
• The type of music
• The type of liquid

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

A scientist hypothesizes that the temperature at which an alligator's egg is incubated will determine whether the alligator will be male or female. The independent variable is

• the male alligators
• the incubator
• the gender of the alligator
• the temperature

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

Erin is testing to see how different amounts of nitrogen infused in the soil will impact the height of her corn plants. She puts two corn plants into two pots. One is filled with nitrogen infused soil and the other is not. She puts the regular soil pot outside and the nitrogen infused plant in her bathroom. The corn in the regular soil grows to 7 feet tall and the corn in the nitrogen soil grows to 2 feet tall.

What is the dependent variable?

• The regular soil

• The nitrogen infused soil

• The height of the plants

• The plant in the bathroom

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4