At your house, sandwich bread gets moldy sooner in the kitchen than in the pantry. Is that a coincidence, or is there an explanation? A researcher doesn't just stay with the doubt: they turn it into a question that can be tested step by step.
The stages of an investigation
You see that a lamp won't turn on, you think the batteries are dead, you put in new ones, and you check whether it lights up. Without realizing it, you followed a path similar to the one science uses.
In practice, the stages can repeat or loop back and forth: an unexpected result can lead you to ask a new question.
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These steps of the scientific method are in the wrong order: (a) analyse data, (b) formulate a hypothesis, (c) experiment, (d) observe a striking fact, (e) draw…
These steps of the scientific method are in the wrong order: (a) analyse data, (b) formulate a hypothesis, (c) experiment, (d) observe a striking fact, (e) draw conclusions. Put them in the correct order and write one sentence explaining what is done in each step.
The diagram shows the steps of the scientific method, but one of them is hidden behind a question mark. Identify the missing step and explain what it involves.
The diagram shows the steps of the scientific method, but one of them is hidden behind a question mark. Identify the missing step and explain what it involves.
To find out whether a fertilizer speeds up a plant's growth, you can't change the fertilizer, the watering, and the hours of light all at once: you wouldn't know which one caused the difference. How do you organize the conditions of a test so that the conclusion is valid?
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Explain in your own words what a hypothesis is and write a possible hypothesis for this observation: the plants on a classroom windowsill grow leaning towards the window.
Explain in your own words what a hypothesis is and write a possible hypothesis for this observation: the plants on a classroom windowsill grow leaning towards the window.
A group of students observes that bread goes mouldy faster in the kitchen than in the larder. Write an investigable question about this observation, formulate a…
A group of students observes that bread goes mouldy faster in the kitchen than in the larder. Write an investigable question about this observation, formulate a hypothesis, and express it as an "if..., then..." prediction.
To test whether light affects growth, two identical pots are prepared with the same plant, the same soil, and the same watering: one is left in the sun and the other…
To test whether light affects growth, two identical pots are prepared with the same plant, the same soil, and the same watering: one is left in the sun and the other inside a dark cupboard. Identify the independent variable, the dependent variable, and two control variables (variables kept constant), and explain what role the plant in the cupboard plays.
Fewer tadpoles have been spotted in a park pond since a fountain that stirs up the water was installed. Design an experiment to test whether water movement affects…
Fewer tadpoles have been spotted in a park pond since a fountain that stirs up the water was installed. Design an experiment to test whether water movement affects tadpole development: write the hypothesis, the experimental set-up, the control group, and what you would measure.
A laboratory repeats the same experiment ten times and gets the expected result on only one occasion. Explain why the hypothesis cannot be considered proven and what the…
A laboratory repeats the same experiment ten times and gets the expected result on only one occasion. Explain why the hypothesis cannot be considered proven and what the team should do next.
To prove that its new fertiliser is "the best", a company fertilises fifty pots with its product and, after a month, announces that all the plants have grown. Point out…
To prove that its new fertiliser is "the best", a company fertilises fifty pots with its product and, after a month, announces that all the plants have grown. Point out at least three flaws in the experimental design and describe how it should be done correctly.
Back to the beginning: to investigate why bread gets moldy sooner in the kitchen than in the pantry, keep the type of bread and the bag the same (constant variables), change only the location (independent variable), and record the number of days it takes for mold to appear (dependent variable).
Summary
Let's practice! 3 medium exercises in this section