Grade 8 Diagnostic Evaluation in Science Objective 4

The scientific method and the paper aeroplane lab

OBSERVATION
We have all made paper aeroplanes. Sometimes they fly! Mostly the planes we make do not fly
very well but, yes, sometimes we are successful.

QUESTION - just stay with ONE question!

What makes a successful paper aeroplane? How can we make a paper aeroplane that is not a
disaster? We can turn these general questions in any one of many possible, more focussed
questions:
 What aeroplane design will fly the furthest?
 What design of paper aeroplane will remain in the air the longest?
 What kind of paper will help the paper aeroplane be more successful?
 What effect does weight have on a paper aeroplane?
 What design of paper aeroplane will 'loop the loop'?
 ??? What other questions do you have?
Choose just ONE question from the list, or come up with your own question.

RESEARCH
Maybe now do a little research in books or in the internet or by asking people or by trialing some
plane designs. Record some notes of your research, including the links or sources.

HYPOTHESIS
Make one specific hypothesis that attempts to answer the question, and justify the hypothesis.
You will write a statement something like this:
"I think that 'x' design will allow the paper aeroplane to fly the furthest because ............ ."
Take note here of such an important concept: it does not matter in any way whether you
later support or reject the hypothesis. In fact, finding out something which you did not
expect to happen, is often how we learn in science!!

DESIGN AN INVESTIGATION (EXPERIMENT) TO TEST THE HYPOTHESIS

This is the action part! But the action does not begin until the planning is properly completed.
A scientific investigation is not simply a random series of attempts to do something. You are
trying to answer one, specific question, so you must make the investigation a FAIR TEST and
eliminate all other influences which might make the result meaningless. Think of it like this:
 If I am trying to see which design of paper aeroplane flies furthest, I do not want the wind
or the way I throw the aeroplane to influence the result. I call these the CONTROLLED
VARIABLES.
 The one and only aspect of the investigation which I will change each time is the design
of the paper aeroplane. I will test a minimum of THREE different designs. I call this the
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.
 The results which I collect - ie how far the aeroplane flies - are dependent only upon the
design of the paper aeroplane. This is called the DEPENDENT VARIABLE.
So you must plan the investigation properly, using the provided PLANNING FORMAT. When
the planning is completed, only then can you conduct the investigation (and collect results).

RESULTS
Draw a simple table and complete the table with the results of your investigation.
ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
Here you will probably want to draw a graph - most likely in this case, a bar graph. Graphs allow
you to visualise your results so that it is easier to make a conclusion. Look at the graph and
search for patterns or trends.

CONCLUSION
Your initial conclusion is a very straightforward statement:
"The results of this investigation SUPPORT (or REJECT) the hypothesis."

Then you should justify why you have arrived at that conclusion with a "because" statement
which explains why you have arrived at that conclusion.

EVALUATION
Here are some possible questions for discussion:
 If you did this experiment again, would you get the same results? Why or why not?
 Will someone else who follows your procedure get the same data? Why or why not?
 What other factors affect the flight of a paper airplane?
 How else could you have designed the experiment to test this hypothesis?
 What might you have done differently in order to improve the results?
 What follow-up questions (for investigation) can you suggest?

REPORT AND COMMUNICATE THE INVESTIGATION