Unit 1 Nature of Science Test Review

Ash Ketchum is studying the effects of foot traffic (how many people walk through) on how many Pokemon can be found in the parks near Okeeheelee Middle School. One park (Park A) is located next to the middle school, and tons of middle schoolers cut through the park to walk home. Another park (Park B) is in the middle of nowhere and is rarely used by anybody.

Ash Ketchum plans to visit both parks just after school release for 10 days and analyze the data. What is the dependent variable (outcome variable)?

• The size of the park

• The number of Pokemon in each park

• The number of swings at each park

• The number of days the Pokemon were counted

Answer explanation

The thing being changed is the amount of foot traffic (number of people who walk through or use the park) after school release. This is the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.

The thing being measured is the amount of Pokemon. This is the DEPENDENT VARIABLE. it DEPENDS on the foot traffic (independent variable), and it is the data that Ash Ketchum is trying to record.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Nathan wanted to conduct an investigation to determine what kind of plant food is best for plant growth. He predicted the most expensive food would cause the plants to grow fastest. He developed the following steps to conduct his investigation:

• * Five identical jalepeno plants were placed in the same type of container with equal amounts of soil and water

• * He gave each of the 5 plants a different type of plant food ranging from most expensive to least expensive

• * The height of each plant was measured and recorded at the beginning of the experiment and then daily for 30 days

• What essential part of his investigation is missing?

• a question

• a hypothesis

• a control group

• a dependent variable (outcome variable)

Answer explanation

Every experiment needs a control group. While the experimental group is changed (the independent variable is changed for this group), the control group is NOT CHANGED. The control group is then compared to the experimental group.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

The graph shows how tall two types of plants grow over a certain number of days. At 20 days, about how tall was the mustard green plant?

• 30 cm

• 50 cm

• 20 cm

• 60 cm

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

An experiment was set up to test the hypothesis that all Pokemon evolve faster if they ate a "super biscuit" once per day. Six of the same type of Pokemon were tested, three eating normal food plus a "super biscuit" and three eating only their normal food. All Pokemon followed the same training regiment. Which of the following would improve the experiment?

• Add more types of Pokemon

• Test one pokemon with a different type of food

• Have each pokemon follow a different training regiment

• Give all six Pokemon a slice of cake each day

Answer explanation

The hypothesis is that the special biscuits will make ALL Pokemon evolve faster. Using only one type of Pokemon will not prove or disprove this hypothesis. The test would need to include as many different types of Pokemon as possible.

Tags

NGSS.MS-LS1-5

NGSS.MS-LS2-1

NGSS.MS-LS2-4

Anthony rolled his favorite toy car (Lightning McQueen) down a ramp to time how long it took the car to reach the bottom. After one trial, he doubled the height of the ramp, added a loop, and painted the ramp with a thick paint. Anthony conducted three more trials and found that the height of the ramp had no effect on the speed of the car rolling down the track.

Which of the following reasons best describes why his conclusion is unsupported?

• Anthony miscalculated the speed of Lightning McQueen

• Anthony conducted too many trials

• He should have used a control group by rolling the tow truck Mater down the ramp also

• Too many variables were changed during the investigation

Answer explanation

A good experiment changes only ONE independent variable. Anthony changed the height (independent variable) but also added a loop and a different surface (the paint). This means he changed THREE variables instead of just the one.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-2

NGSS.MS-PS3-1

A class of seventh grade students at Okeeheelee Middle School conducted various scientific investigations throughout the year because science is the best and they love science. The following are part of the procedures for different investigations:

1. 1 - Measure the height of a cactus every 24 hours

2. 2 - Count the number of iguanas seen in the park once a day for four weeks

3. 3 - Time how long it takes for three different brands sports drink powder to dissolve and calculate the average

4. 4 - Throw each paper airplane four times and calculate the average distance

Which statement is the BEST example of repetition?

• Investigation 1

• Investigation 2

• Investigation 3

• Investigation 4

Answer explanation

Repetition - The same person doing the same experiment multiple times.

1 and 2 - Not correct because this is not conducting an experiment multiple times, it is just making observations multiple times

3 - Not correct because it is doing one experiment one time (even though there are 3 sports drinks, it is just one experiment being done a single time)

Sarah is an engineer researching the safety of a new car seat for infants. She plans on conducting an experiment to test the car seat's ability to keep the child safe during a crash. Why is it important to replicate Sarah's experiment?

• To compare how safe the car seat is compared to other car seats

• To allow other engineers to conduct Sarah's experiment and confirm her results

• So other engineers can use Sarah's results as a control group

• To meet the minimum safety standards for the car seat

Answer explanation

Repetition - The SAME person doing the SAME experiment multiple times. Like an athlete repeating the same drills to improve.

Replication - Different person COPYING an experiment. Like building an IKEA desk by following IKEAs instructions.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS2-5

Ralph is observing the position of the moon in the night sky. Using an app on his phone, he tracks the position of the moon every 20 second for six hours using the phone's camera. After tracking the position of the moon for six hours, he shares the data with his friend William Dafoe who is something of a scientist himself. William tells Ralph that while very cool, this was not actually an experiment. Which of the following supports William's claim?

• This is not an experiment because there are too many variables

• This is not an experiment because no variables are manipulated

• This is not an experiment because it only uses predictions about the moon's position

• This is not an experiment because only people with expensive, advanced degrees can be scientists

Answer explanation

There are many ways that scientists learn about the world around them, and experiments are only one of these ways. Experiments are when you change a variable to determine the outcome.

Tracking the moon is definitely science, but it is the process of recording multiple observations and not the process of conducting an experiment.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

Why is developing a good hypothesis an important step in any scientific investigation?

• The hypothesis is the first step of the scientific process

• The hypothesis guides the scientist towards the results of the experiment

• The hypothesis provides the steps needed to analyze the data from the experiment

• The hypothesis provides a prediction about what might happen during the experiment

Garfield wants to determine if adding sugar to his lasagna makes it taste sweeter. He cooked up 4 identical trays of lasagna, adding the following amounts of sugar to each tray: 2 grams, 8 grams, 30 grams, 60 grams. Garfield then has his friend Jon taste each tray and rank the sweetness. He repeated the same experiment with Jon 4 times and recorded the results.

Did the experiment correctly use the scientific method for experimentation?

• No, because the amount of sugar was not high enough to change the taste

• No, because there no control group in the experiment so a comparison cannot be made

• Yes, because there were multiple trials and several test variables (independent variables) that were tested

• Yes, because there were multiple trials and all the trays of lasagna had some change in sweetness

Answer explanation

Every experiment needs a control group. This experiment should have had a tray with no sugar added as a comparison to the experimental group.