Name _____________________

Date________________

Period____

Experimental Design Detective

Directions: Read the following scenario. Then, using information from the scenario, complete the experimental design diagram shown below. Scenario: After studying about recycling, members of Janes class decided to investigate the effects of various recycled products on plant growth. Janes team compared the effect of different aged grass compost on the growth of lima bean plants. The group hypothesized that older compost would produce taller bean plants. Three trays of 25 plants each were grown for one week. The plants were planted in 450 grams of an equal mixture of potting soil and compost as follows; tray one used 3 month-old compost; tray two used 6 month-old compost and tray three used only plain potting soil. All of the plants received the same amount of sunlight and water each day and were kept in the same location. The height of the plants in centimeters was recorded at the end of 30 days. Experimental Design diagram: Fill-in using data from this scenario.

Problem:

Hypothesis:

Independent Variable:

Groups to be Tested Description Number to be Tested in Each Dependent Variable

Constant Variables

Name _________________________

Date_________________

Period_____

Practice Problems
1. Identify the independent variable and the dependent variable. a. Michael put 100 red seeds, 100 brown seeds, and 100 yellow seeds in his bird feeder. He counted the number of seeds of each color that remained after 2 days. b. Leticia timed how fast apple slices turned brown after being dipped in different preservatives, such as lemon juice, fruit freshener, and lime soda. 2. Identify the independent variable, dependent variable, and constants. a. Elizabeth tested how high 5 different brands of new tennis balls would bounce when dropped from a height of 2 meters. She dropped the balls so that they hit the same floor tile each time. b. Maria wondered if different colors of plastic wrap affected the time for bread to mold. She wrapped a slice of bread in clear plastic wrap. Before wrapping the bread she placed 5 mLs of water in the center of the bread. She repeated the process with a slice of bread using red plastic wrap and a slice of bread using blue plastic wrap. The bread came from the center of the same loaf. In each case she used the same amount and same brand of plastic wrap. She wrapped the different slices of bread in the same way. 3. Identify the independent variable and dependent variable in each hypothesis. a. If liquids are placed in containers with sides of different heights, then they will evaporate faster in the container with the lower sides. b. If a greater amount of soap is added to water, then fewer drops of water can be placed on a penny. 4. Determine if the hypothesis is supported by the data. Katherine thought that people would be able to taste small amounts of sugar more easily than vinegar or salt. She found that people could detect 2 mL of salt in a liter of water. However, they needed only 1.5 mL of sugar per liter of water and 0.5 mL of vinegar to taste the substance. 5. Make a hypothesis about the following. a. How hard rock, rock and roll, and classical music affect pulse rate. b. The greatest distance a cat would react to a hand clap.

Name________________________

Date_______________

Period____

Variables
A variable is something that can vary or change. Underline the variables in these sentences. 1. The time it takes to run a kilometer depends on the amount of exercise a person gets. 2. The higher the temperature of water, the faster an egg will cook. 3. An investigation was done to see if keeping the lights on for different amounts of time each day affected the number of eggs chickens laid. 4. The temperature of water was measured at different depths of a lake. 5. Grass will grow taller if it is watered a great deal and it is fertilized. The variable that is being tested or deliberately changed is called the independent variable. Underline the independent variable in these sentences. 1. Different amounts of lead were used in cars to determine the amount of pollution produced by cars. 2. Lemon trees receiving the most water produced the largest lemons. 3. The amount of algae growth in lakes seems to be related to the number of bags of fertilizer sold by plant stores. 4. An investigation was performed to see if corn seeds would sprout at different times depending on the temperature of the water in which they were placed. The variable that may change as a result of changing the independent variable is called the dependent variable. A dependent variable is what you are looking to find out in the experiment. Underline the dependent variable in these sentences. 1. More bushels of potatoes will be produced if the soil is fertilized more. 2. Five groups of rats are fed identical diets except for the amount of Vitamin A that they receive. Each group gets a different amount of vitamin A. After three weeks on the diet, the rats are weighed to see if the amount of Vitamin A received has affected their weight. 3. An experiment was done with six groups of children to see if scores on their weekly tests were affected by the number of minutes they had studied.