Understanding Experimental Questions and Hypotheses

Mr. Anderson's mini lesson focuses on developing experimental questions and hypotheses. It emphasizes the importance of defining phenomena, formulating questions with independent and dependent variables, and creating hypotheses with predictions and explanations. The lesson uses examples like tomato plant growth and a candle experiment to illustrate these concepts, guiding students to understand how to design and conduct experiments effectively.

What is the first step in developing an experimental question?

• Collecting data

• Defining the phenomena

• Writing a hypothesis

• Choosing variables

In the tomato plant growth example, what is the experimental question?

• How does temperature affect plant growth?

• How does water affect plant growth?

• How does soil type affect plant growth?

• How does the amount of light affect plant growth?

What are the two components of a good hypothesis?

• Variables and constants

• Prediction and explanation

• Observation and conclusion

• Data and analysis

Which variable is changed in an experiment?

• Independent variable

• Dependent variable

• Extraneous variable

• Controlled variable

In the candle and beaker experiment, what is the experimental question?

• How does the size of the beaker affect water height?

• How does the number of candles affect the height of water in the beaker?

• How does the type of candle affect water height?

• How does the temperature of water affect the experiment?

What is the hypothesis for the candle and beaker experiment?

• More candles will decrease water height due to less oxygen.

• More candles will increase water height due to more heat.

• More candles will have no effect on water height.

• More candles will decrease water height due to more heat.

What is the role of the independent variable in an experiment?

• It is the variable that is ignored.

• It is the variable that is changed.

• It is the variable that is kept constant.

• It is the variable that is measured.

Why is it important to have measurable variables in an experiment?

• To obtain reliable and valid results

• To reduce the cost of the experiment

• To make the experiment easier to conduct

• To ensure the experiment is fun

What should a good experimental question be based on?

• A textbook example

• A hypothesis

• A random guess

• A previous experiment

What is the purpose of the video tutorial?

• To teach how to conduct a specific experiment

• To guide the development of experimental questions and hypotheses

• To explain the history of scientific experiments

• To provide a list of famous experiments