Class
Date
Name
WORKSHEET
Working with Hypothe se s
When people do scientific experiments, they try to shed light on the
unknown or figure out how the worid works. How do scientists know
where to start? Wel1, the1, ask questions.
In order to get answers, scientists start with a puzzling question.
Scientists have tried to answer the following:
. How do birds know where to migrate?
. How can we predict earthquakes?
. ls there life elsewhere in our soiar system or in the universe?
.
ln
Do eiephants use sound to communicate?
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Then they try to answer their question by making an educated guess.
The following are guesses to answer the first question:
r Birds tell direction by watching the sun rise and set.
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. Birds have a built-in "road lr^ap" to follow.
. Birds can tell direction by sensing the Earth's magnetic field.
. Birds remember their course by spotting familiar landmarks.
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These for-tr sentences a-re examples of hypotheses. A hypothesis is an
educateci guess or possibie answel to a question. Scierrtisis test their
hy,poLhesis by doing an er.periment. The lollovr,ing is an example:
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Question: How do birds know where to migrate?
Hypothesis: Birds are directed by the Earth's magnetic field.
Experiment: Create an electric circuit that produces a magnetic field'
Attach this circuit to a bird so that the bird's ability to sense the Earth's
magnetic fielci--tf such an ability exists-is disrupted. lf the bird can still
migrate normally, then the hypothesis is probably wrong.
Identifying
a Good Hypothesis
Not all hypotheses are useful. Consider the foliowing hypothesis:
Hypothesis: Birds are guided by the spirits of dead antelopes.
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Could you design an experiment to test such a hypothesis? Even if you
couid find spirits of dead anteiopes, thev would probabiy be hard to
control in an experiment. The point is that a good hypothesis is one
that can be tested.
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SCIENCE SKILLS WORKSHEETS
31
Name
Date
Class
Working with Hypotheses, continued
Evaluate each hypotheses based on whether
an X in the appropriate column.
it can be tested, and place
Hypothesis
Can be tested
Cannot be tested
lf the polar ice caps begin to melt, the amount
of salt in ocean water will chanqe.
Dogs use mind control on their owners to be
taken for walks and car rides.
lf an animal is deaf. then it cannot hear.
A propeller with large blades can propel an airplane
faster than a propeller with smaller blades can.
More on Hypotheses
Hypotheses help explain puzzling situations or events. Hypotheses
answer "how," "what," and "why" questions. Explain each of the
following situations with a hypothesis:
l. You hang a bird feeder, fill it with food, but no birds come to it.
Hypoihes!s:
2. In your new house, you see fewer stars from your bedroom window.
You're looking at the same place in the sky.
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After you put a plastic food container in the dishwasher, its tid no
Ionger fits correctly.
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Create a two-column table. Label
one column "Cause" and the other
"Effect." Put a puzzling situation or
event in the "Effect" column. Think
of some causes, and list them in
the "Cause" column. Every cause
you write is actually a hypothesis!
32
HoLT sctENcE AND TEcHNoLocy
You've probably heard that you can
prove a hypothesis wrong but that
you can't prove it right. Explain
why this is true.
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Date:
Name:
ldentify the Controls and Variables
Smithers thinks that a special
juice will increase the
productivity of workers.
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creates two groups of
'
workers each and assigns each
group the same task (in this case, they're
supposed to staple a set of papers). Group A is
given the special juice to drink while they work.
Group B is not given the special juice, After an
hour, Smithers counts how many stacks of
papers each group has made. Group A made
1,587 stacks, Group B made 2,113 stacks.
He
5o
ldentify the:
J
ffi" h ^
Jrc
1
. Control Group
,
2. Independent Variable
3. Dependent Variable
4. What should Smithers'conclusion bt
5. How could this experiment be impro'
Homer notices that his shower
is coverecj in a sirange green
siime. His friend Barney telis
him that coconut juice will get
rid of the green slime. Homer
decides to check this this out
by spraying half of the shower with coconut juice.
He sprays the other half of the shower with
water. After 3 days of "treatment" there is no
change in the appearance of the green slime on
either side of the shower.
6. What was the iniitial observation?
Bart believes that mice exposed
to radiowaves will become extra
strong (maybe he's been reading
too much Radioactive Man). He
decides to perform this
experiment by placing 10 mice
ldentify theI
ldentify the7. Control Group
8. lndependent Variable
9. Dependent Variable
'10. What
should Homer's conclusion br
doesn't work
f A
11. Control Group
1
2. lndependent Variable
13. Dependent Variable
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near a radio for 5 hours. He compared these 10
mice to another 10 mice that had not been
exposed. His test consisted of a heavy block of
wood that blocked the mouse food. he found that
8 out of 10 of the radiowaved mice were able to
push the block away. 7 out of 10 of the other
miee were able te de the same.
Krusty was told that a certain itching '\,*.,, *'*1r
"u t';ls:powder was the newest best
,'ry:'
on the mai'ket, it even claims
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cause 50% longer lasting
Interested in this product, he buys
the itching powder and compares
to his usual product. One test subject (A) is
sprinkled with the original itching powder, and
another test subject (B) was sprinkled with the
Experimental itching porrder', Subject A. r'eported
having itches for 30 minutes. Subject B reported
to have itches for 45 minutes.
thing
to
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improved?
ldentify the16. Control Group
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14. What should Bart's conclusion be?
Lisa is working on a science project.
Her task is to answer the question:
"Does Rogooti (which is a
commercial hair product) affect the
speed of hair growth". Her family is
willing to volunteer for the
experiment.
1
7. Independent Variable
18. Dependent Variable
19. Explain whether the data supports
advertisements claims about its produc
does
20. Describe how Lisa would perform tl
experiment. ldentify the control group,
independent and dependent variables
description.
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Scientific Method ln Action
3s
Name:
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Recommend I
The Strange Case of BeriBeri
ln 1887 a strange nerve disease attacked the people in the Dutch East lndies. The disease
was beriberi. Symptoms of the disease included weakness and loss of appetite, victims often
died of heart failure. Scienfi'sts thought the disease might be caused by bacteria. They
injected chickens with bacteria from the blood of patients with beriberi. The injected chickens
became sick. However, so did a group of chickens that were not injected with bacteria.
*E
One of the scientists, Dr. Eijkman, noticed scmething. Before the experiment, allthe
chickens had eaten whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed
polished rice. Dr. Eijkman researched this interesting case and found that polished rice
lacked thiamine, a vitamin necessary for good health.
1. State the Problem
2. What was the hypothesis?
3. How was the hypothesis tested?
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4. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment?
5. What should be the new hypothesis and how would you test it?
How Penicillin Was Discovered
ln 1928,
Alexander Fleming was studying Staphylococcus bacteria growing in culture dishes. He noticed that a t
called Penicillium was also growing in some of the dishes. A clear area existed around the mold because allthe bat
had grown in this area had died. ln the culture dishes without the mold, no clear areas were present.
Sir
Fleming hypothesized that the mold must be producing a chemical that killed the bacteria. He decided to isolate thi:
substance and test it to see if it would kill bacteria. Fleming transferred the mold to a nutrient broth solution. Ihrs so
contained all the materials the mold needed to grow. After the mold grew, he removed it from the nutrient broth. Fle
added the nutrient broth in which the mold had grown to a culture of bacteria. He observed that the bacteria died wl
later used to develop antibiotics used to treat a variety of diseases.
6. ldentify the problem.
7. What was Fleming's hypothesis?
B. How was the hypothesis iested?
9. Should the hypothesis be supported or rejected based on the experiment?
10. This exoeriment lead to the develooment of what maior medical advancement?
ft3,,"
Name:
Date:
Analyzing Data
1. An experiment studies the effects of an experimental drug on the number of offspring
a mother mouse has. 10 female mice are given the drug and then impregnated. The
number of mice in their litters is compared to the litters of mice that did not take the druo.
Number of Babies in Litter
Based on the data, what would you conclude about the drug, did it work?
2. Cow Growth Rates
ts Data Analysis
A type of feed claims to boost the growth rate of cows. The feed is tested on two twin
newborn cows. Bessie receives the experimental {eed, and Bertha receives regular corn
feed. Their weights are recorded below.
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Graph the data; use a dotted line for Bessie and a straight line for Bertha. Make sure you label the X and
y
axis.
Both cows ended at the same weight, but did the experimentalfeed change the way they gained weight
at all?
Describe your conclusions about the experimental feed and explain why it is important that the experiment
used twin
cows?
3. Town Populations Graph
a. According to the graph, which town grew the fastest?
b. Which town declined in population?
?
c. Which town had the smallest change in population?
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Name
Period
Variables Practice
1. ldentify the independent, dependent,
and constant variables in these experiments.
Also, tist the control group:
George was growing pepper plants on the porch. He wondered if the temperature of the water
would affect how fast the plants grew. He watered one plant with hot (60eC) water, one plant
with room temperature (25eC) water, and one plant with cold (4eC) water. One week later he
measured how much each plant had grown.
a.
Independent
Variable
Deoendent
Variable
Constant
Variable(s)
Control
Group
Leslie wondered if temperature affected how high a ball bounced. She got 3 tennis balls from
the same can. She put one ball in the freezer, one in her room, and one outside in the hot sun.
After 2 hours she took the 3 balls onto her porch. She dropped each ball from the same height
onto the same oiece of sidewalk.
b.
Independent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
Constant
Variable(s)
Control
Group
c.
George normally gave his pepper plants 1 drop of fertilizer each week. He wanted to see if
fertilizer really made a difference. So, he gave one plant no fertilizer, one plant 1 drop of
fertilizer, and one plant 2 drops of fertilizer each week for a month and then measured the
height.
lndependent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
Constant
Variable(s)
Control
Group
fub2
d.
Name
Period
Barbara heard that ice melted faster if you put salt on it. She put 3 ice cubes on a tray. On the
first cube, she put 1 tablespoon of salt. On the second cube, she put 2 tablespoons of salt. On
the third cube, she put nothing. Then she timed the cubes to see how long it took them to melt.
Independent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
Constant
Variable(s)
Control
Group
2-
ldentity the independent and dependent variable in these hypotheses:
a.
lf the temperature of a room is higher, then water will evaporate more quickly.
lndependent
Variable
Dependenl
Variable
b.
lf a shirt is stained with mud it will be harder to clean than if it is stained with grass.
Independent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
c.
lf a paper airplane is made out of heavy paper, then it will fly farther than one made with light
paper.
lndependent
Variable
Dependent
Variable
3.
what corrections would you make to this experiment and why?
George wanted to test if the amount of water he gave his plants affected how much they grew. He
had a pepper plant in his room and he gave it 1 cup of water each week. He gave z cufs-ot water per
y"qk to the pepper plant in the kitchen. He gave 3 cups of water per week to"the pepper plant in the
back yard. At the end of the month he measured how much they had grown.
P,3 1?
Period
Anticipation Guide: ldentifying Variables and Types of Data
Curtis loves microwave popcorn. He doesn't like that some bags of Jiffy Pop popcorn, the brand he
normally buys, leave so many un-popped kernels. He decided to investigate which brand leaves the
fewest un-popped kernels atter 2 minutes and 30 seconds in the microwave. He hypothesized
Newman's Onzn would leave the fewest un-popped kernels because it is the most expensive. Here is
the data he collected:
Average
number of un-
Jiffy Pop
Orville
Redenbacher
Pop Secret
Act ll
Newman's
Own
34
1Z
46
30
28
oopoed kernels
t.
Which variable is the independent (manipulated) variable?
2.
Which variable is the dependent (responsive) variable?
J.
is Ciirtis collecting qualitative oi'quaniiiaiive data?
4.
Does Curtis have a control group in his investigation? lf you said yes, then write down his
corrtroi grcup, if ycu saici nc, then expiain wiry.
5.
In complete sentences, state what you believe Curtis's conclusion to his experiment
would be. (A conclusion should state the results of his experiment and whether he would
suppori or reject his hypothesis).
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{r'u}
Name
Period
Kayla and Tiffany set up an experiment to observe the flash pattern of a male firefly. They wanted to
see how contact with other fireflies would affect that flash pattern. They planned to count the number
of flashes a male firefly made over 2 minutes when exposed to another male firefly, then a female
firefly, and lastly when it was left alone. They will repeat this process 10 times and will average their
results. They hypothesized that there would be no difference between the number of flashes for each
of the three groups. This is what they found:
Averaqe flash count
Male encounter
Female encounter
Left alone
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26
1q
1.
Which variable is the independent (manipulated) variable?
2.
Which variable is the dependent (responsive) variable?
3.
Are Kayla and riffany collecting qualitative or quantitative data?
4.
5.
Do they have a control group in their investigation? lf you said yes, then write ciown their
control group, if you said no, then explain why.
In complete sentences, state what you believe Kayla and Tiffany's conclusion to their
experiment would be. (A conclusion should state the results of their experiment and
whether they would support or reject their hypothesis).
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Scientific Method
Controls and Variables
Name
- Part 1
SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom pals have been busy doing
description for each experiment and answer the questions.
a little research. Read the
1 - Patty Power
Mr. Krabbs wants to make Bikini Bottoms a nicer place to live. He has created a new sauce that he
thinks will reduce the production of body gas associated with eating crabby patties from the Krusty
Krab. He recruits 100 customers with a history of gas problems. He has 50 of them (Group A) eat
crabby patties with the new sauce. The other 50 (Group B) eat crabby patties with sauce that looks just
Iike new sauce but is really just mixture of mayonnaise and food coloring. Both groups were told that
they were getting the sauce that would reduce gas production. Two hours after eating the crabby
patties, 30 customers in group A reported having fewer gas problems and 8 customers in group B
reported having fewer gas problems.
Which people are in the control group?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What should Mr. Krabs' conclusion be?
Why do you think 8 people in group B reported feeling better?
- Slimotosis
Sponge Bob notices that his pal Gary is suffering from slimotosis, which occurs when the sheil
develops a nasty siime and gives off a horribie odor. His friend Patrick tells him that rubbing seaweed
on the shell is the perfect cure, while Sandy says that drinking Dr. Kelp will be a better cure. Sponge
Bob decides to test this cure by rubbing Gary with seaweed for 1 week and having him drink Dr. Kelp.
After a week of treatment, the slime is gone and Gary's shell smells better.
2
What was the initial observation?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What should Sponge Bob's conclusion be?
Worksheet creoted b), T. Trintlte
2003 hnp://sciencespot.net/
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3
- Marshmallow Muscles
Larry was told that a certain muscle cream was the newest best thing on the market and ciaims to
double a person's muscle power when used as part of a muscle-building workout. lnterested in this
product, he buys the special muscle cream and recruits Patrick and SpongeBob to help him with an
experiment. Larry develops a special marshmallow weight-lifting program for Patrick and SpongeBob.
He meets with them once every day for a period of 2 weeks and keeps track of their results. Before
each session Patrick's arms and back are lathered in the muscle cream. while Sponse Bob's arms and
back are lathered with the resular lotion.
Time
Initial
Which person is in the control group?
Patrick
SnoneeBob
l8
5
24
o
JJ
II
Amount
What is the independent variable?
After
1
week
What is the dependent variable?
After
2
weeks
What should Larry's conclusion be?
Microwave Miracle
Patrick believes that fish that eat food exposed to
microwaves will become smarter and would be
able to swim throu gh a maze faster. He decides
to perform an experiment by placing fish food in
a microwave for 20 seconds. He has the fish
swim through a maze and records the time it
takes for each one to make it to the end. He feeds
the special food to 10 fish and gives regular food
to 10 others. After I week, he has the fish swim
through the maze again and recorcis the times for
4
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1:15
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1:28
2:09
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Which fish are in the control sroup?
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
Look at the results in the charts. What should Patrick's conclusion be?
T. Trirttpe
Befcr e
.alf
What was Patrick's hvoothesis?
bt
rme rn mrnutes/secon{rs
Fish
each.
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Name
s"iEiltin. Method
Controls and Variables
- Part?
SpongeBob and his Bikini Bottom pals have continued doing a little research
problems. Read the description for each experiment and answer the questions.
to solve some
Krusty Krabs Breath Mints
Mr. Krabs created a secret ingredient for a breath mint that he thinks will "cure" the bad breath people
get from eating crabby patties at the Krusty Krab. He asked 100 customers with a history of bad breath
to try his new breath mint. He had fifty customers (Group A) eat a breath mint after they finished
earing a crabby patty. The other fifty (Group B) also received a breath mint after they finished the
sandwich, however, it was just a regular breath mint and did not have the secret ingredient. Both
groups were told that they were getting the breath mint that would cure their bad breath. Two hours
after eating the crabby patties, thirty customers in Group A and ten customers in Group B reported
having better breath than they normally had after eating crabby patties.
1. Which people
are in the control group?
2. What is the independent variable?
3. What is the dependent variable?
4. What shouid Mr. Krabs' conclusion
5. Why do you think
10 people
be?
in group B reported fresher breath?
SpongeBob Clean Pants
SpongeBob noticed that his favorite pants were not as clean as they used to be. His friend Sandy told
him that he should try using Ciean-O detergent, a new brand of laundry soap she found at Sail-Mart.
SpongeBob made sure to wash one pair of pants in plain water and another pair in water with the
Clean-O detergent. After washing both pairs of pants a total of three times, the pants washed in the
Clean-O detergent did not appeal to be any cleaner than the pants washed in plain water.
6. What was the problem SpongeBob wanted to investigate?
7. What is the independent variable?
8. What is the dependent variable?
9. What should Sponge Bob's conclusion be?
Worksh.eet created by T. Trimpe
2003 http://sciencespot.net/
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Squidward's Symphony
Squidward loves playing his clarinet and believes it attracts more jellyfish than any other instrument he
has played. In order to test his hypothesis, Squidward played a song on his clarinet for a total of 5
minutes and counted the number of jellyfish he saw in his front
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yard.Heplayedthesongatotalof3timesonhis"i*in.tunJ
repeated the experiment using a flute and a guitar. He also
recorded the number of jellyfish he observed when he was not
playing an instrument. The results are shown in the chart.
10. What is the independent
1
Tii al
No I\In-"r
Clarinet
l
Flute
J
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variable?
1. What is the dependent variable?
12. What should Squidward's conclusion be?
13. Are the results reliable? Why or why not?
Super Bubbles
Patrick and spongeBob love to blow bubbles! Par"rick found sorne super
Bubble Soap at Sail-Mart. The ads claim thar Super Bubble Soap will
produce bubbles that are twice as big as bubbles made with regular bubble
soap. Patrick and SpongeBob made up two samples of bubble solution.
Cne sample was made witli 5 oz. of Supei Bubble Soap and 5 oz. of water,
while the other was made with the same amount of water and 5 oz. of
reguiar bubbie soap. Patrick and SpongeBob used their favorite bubbie
wands to blow 10 different bubbles and did their best to measure the
diameter of each one. The resuits are shown in the chart
14. What did the Super Bubble ads claim?
15. What is the independent variable?
15. What is the dependent vanable?
17. Look at the results in the chart.
a. Calculate the average diameter for each bubble soiution.
Super Bubble =
_
cm Regular
b. What should their conclusion
Soap =
_
cm
be?
18. Are the results reliable? Why or why not?
Worksheet created by T. Trimpe
2003 http://sciencespot.net/
Buhbles
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(Diam eter
Bubble
Super
Bubble
Regular
Soap
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WORKSHEET
Science Writing
y6s have just cliscovereci a cure for
"mad cow disease." Nour you want to report your findings to other
scientists. Science writing is a particuiar styie of writing. it is diiieretrt
fiom the writing in newspapel afiicles ol mystery stories. Science writing sticks to the facts, observations, and conclusions of an experiment
or study. How is this different from the writing in a novel?
Suppose vou ale a scientist and
Find the Facts
One paragraph beiow is written like a scientific leport, and one is written more informally. Read both paragraphs, and then anSWeI the following questions.
Report #1:
I sat in the chair by the window, watching the rain. lt seemed
that the rain came down angrily, as if to punish the Earth. As
I wrote in my journal, I thought about the earthworms. The
worms were coming out of the ground, having been drowned
out of their dark lairs. Did they feel differently when they
reached the surface? Did they notice the pounding of the rairr?
Did they sense the poetry of the moment, as I did?
ca
@
Report #2:
I watched the rain from a chair by the window. I wrote my
observations in my journal. The rain was coming down quite
hard. After it had been raining for a while, I noticed several
earthworms emerging from underground. Over the next
20 minutes, more earthworms appeared. Apparently, as the
ground became soaked with water, the earthworms came to
the surface for air.
which style
seems more scientific to you? Expiain
specific exampies from the paragraphs.
youl answer with
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54
HoLT scrENcE AND TEcHNoLoGY
Name
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Date
Science Writing, continued
Not Quite Hurnan
When you tell a friend, "N4y turtie misses me when i arn at school,,,
do you think your turtle realiy has human emotions? Sometimes we
act as if nonhuman things have thoughts or emotions similar to our
own. Giving human thoughts, feelings, or actions to nonhuman
organisms and objects is called anthropomorphism.
Most of the time, anthropomorphism is harmless. But in science
writing, it can distort your experimental results and confuse your reader.
Be carefull
From the two reports on page 54, iist examples of anthropomorphism.
How do you think anthropomorphism in a science report can be
misieading?
More Suggestions
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There are different approaches to science writing. Sometimes you may
give a report on your investigation and simply list your facts and
observations in order. Other times you may debate a hypothesis. In
that case, organize your paper or speech as a series of facts or observations that support your position.
Always remember who yoii aie wiiting for. Wiiting your science
report for a class of third-graders is different from writing about it for'a
science magazine. what are some of the differences you can think of?
Write those differences belorn'.
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The primary characteristic of science
writing is that it is objective, meaning that it relies on facts and avoids
inferences. Keep this in mind as you
practice your science writing.
E
E
Find and contrast two examples of
scientific writing. Even though they
are both science writing, how are
thev different?
SCIENCE sKILLS WORKSHEET5
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Date
Name(s)
The Scientific Method - Plop Plop Fizz Fizz
In
this lab, you will develop and test a hypothesis, analyze data and draw
conclusions.
You are given guidance at each step of the way. Fill out this form completely - do
not skip steps!
Step
1: Question or Observation
Question: Whai factors wili make an alka-seltzer tabiet dissolve faster
Variables to test.
.. ..Tap water, Warm water, Cold water, Salt Water, Acidic water (using vinegar)
Of the variables above, which should serve as your CONTROL group?
Any effeversent tabl<
for this experiment, y
even use denture cle
fizzy tablets.
In this experiment, the independent variable is the type of water (warm, salt..etc).
What is the responding variable, or the thing you will be measuring?
Step
2:
Develop a hypothesis. Finish this statement...
Alka seitzer v"'iii dissoive fastest in
Step
3:
'watci', and the sio'trest in
Design and Conduct and Experiment
Answer these questions regarding your experimental design:
A) l iill you use a v;hcle tablet cr a half a tablet of alka seltzer?
B) How will you measure how quickly it dissolves?
C) Fiow much water will you place in your beakers?
Will this amount be the same in all of vour tests?
D) What safety precautions should you take?
Step
4: Create a table to record your results.
Type of Water
Dissolve Time
wale!"
Step
-
5:
Draw Conclusions
in a complete sentence, answer vour experimental question bv summarizino the data
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Graphing Practice
Name
-Start your
oror,vinq animals {or parl 2, then work on the graphs below.
1.
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students, 13 Iisted their favoriie lunch
item as pizza,g chose cheeeseburgers, 6 picked lasagna, and 2 chose tacos
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2. Jamie bought a new video game and decided to keep track o{ his scores.
Try 1 - 150 pts
Try 3 - 500 pts
Try 5 - 1100 pts
lry 2 Try 4 Try 6
-
190 pts
900 pts
1500 pts
Create a graph of ,lamie's progress.
3. Jamie's friend, Josie tries
Try 1
-
100
Try3 -900
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pts
pts
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the "trys" on the X axis
out the same game.
- 500 pts
4- 1100 pts
2
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Use the same graph anci draw an another iine to represent iosie's scores
Label each line as Jamie or Josie.
4.
Based on your graph, who is the better player? Justify your answer'
5 Teko a r:leqq qr rrvcv abOut
favorite colors. Find or.tt what
your classmates' favorite colors
are using the list below. Create a
bar graph that is color coded thal
compares the class choices
BIUe
Red
Green
Yellow
Purple
Pink
Orange
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Name:
FLow RATES : The foilowing data sets show the flow of a riouid
through a pipe. There are two tests shown, each testing the rate
of
flow of different liquids: pooponol and peepinol, as they flow
thouoh
pipes of different diameters.
luata Set 1:
Pooponot
pipe
lDiameter of
ri-
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peepinol
lData Set 2:
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Graphing: Use two different rines, of different colors to graph
the data.
Make one line for Peepinol and another line for poooinol.
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400 $s0 800 100s 1?**
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Amoun! ol Liauid Florring ll.rrough ptpe {rni}
Analysis
.1.Atwhatdiarneterdobothliquidshavethesamef|owrate?-
2. which liquid generally
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moves faster in the pipe (no matter what diameter)?
Extra: Peepinol has a higher VISCoSITY than poopinot. What does VISCOSITy
mean?
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Specimen 3
Specimen 7
L. lubrica, jellybaby fungus
Height of fruiting body: 6 cm
Color: dark yellow
Spores preseni.
-
R. fennica, Coral fungus
Found growing under a pine tree
150. each - 10 mici'ometrcs (ilm)
/-.nlnr nink
Height of fruiting body: 5 cm
Specimen 4
P. vesiculosa, early-cup fungus
Color:whiie
Height of fruiting body: 7 cm
Before you make your chart, consider ihe data that the
biologist gathered and try to come up with a logical way
of presenting that informaiion on a iabie.
Not all specimens have the same information, and you
will need to make some decisions about which data to
include or exclude.
Vidalia DNA Lab Testing
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99%
DNA Tests (Siblings, Paternity,eic)
Adlitricrs fi>
Accuracy, Quick Results
The same field biologist realizes that jellybaby fungi seem to grow in clusters. The size of each of the caps of the
individuals vary, but generally range between 1-4 cm in diameter. He notes that in clusters that have many individual
stalks, the caps seem to be smaller in diameter. Those that have fewer stalks have larger diameter caps. To show that
there is a relationship between these two features, he finds three clusters of jellybabys and measures their cap diameter
and counts the number of fruiting bodies (stalks) in the cluster.
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Number of stalks in cluster: 5
Number of stalks in cluster: 6
Number of stalks in cluster: 4
Diameter of each cap (in cm):
Diameter of each cap (in cm):
Diameter of each cap (in cm):
1.1,1.2,1.5, 1.6,2,
2.5,2.8,3.2,3.4
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Use the data gathered to show the relationship between number of stalks and diameter of the cap in a GRAPH format.
The type of graph you make is up to you, bui it MUST clearly show the relationship between those two variables.
Date
Name
Class
WORKSHEET
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Making Data Meaningful
The following sentences use the word average in different ways:
.
He was just an ordinary, average guy.
.
The average volume of the six solids was 3.2 cm3.
1. What is different about the way
2. What is similar about the way
average is used
average is used
in each sentence?
in each sentence?
What Does It All Mean?
Because average can be used in different ways, scientists use the word
mean instead. In this sense, tnean rs the same as a mathematical aver-
age. For instrnce, to flnd the mean height oiseven students, yr--ru atjd
up theil individual heights and divide the sum by seven, the number
of students.
Suppose the seven students above are third-graders who iive in
Charlotte, North Carolina. If you wanted to find the mean height of
third-graders in Charlotte, you could do one of the following two
things:
.
.
You couid measure the height of everv single third-grader in
Charlotte, and thren calcuiate the population mean. This wouid take
a long time because there are thousands of third-graders in
Charlotte. The population mean refers to a mathematical average
that has been calculated based on all of the available data.
You could measure the height of several third-graders in certain
areas and calculate thre sample mean. The sample mean refers to a
mathematical average that has been calculated based on only some
(a sample) of the availabie data. The sample mean is an estimate of
the population mean.
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3. When do you think it is more appropriate to calculate a sample
mean? Can you think of any problems with using a sample mean?
72
HoLT scrENcE AND TEcHNoLocY
o
o
Name
Date
Class
Making Data Meoningful, continued
4. When do you think it is more appropriate to calculate a population
mean? Can you think of any problems with using a population
mean?
Mode, lVledian, and Range
Mode, median, and range are other important mathematical tools for
interpreting data. The mode is the value that occurs most often in a
set of data. For example, imagine you are counting the number of
slices of pepperoni on certain pieces of pizza. Following are the outcomes for 10 oieces:
Number of Pepperoni Slices per Piece of Pizza
Pizza piece
Pepperoni slices
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5
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2
5
6
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5
Which number occurs most often in the data set? By counting how
many times each number appears, you find that 5 appears mcst often.
Therefore 5 is the mod"e.It is possible to have more than one mode in a
set of data. If two values tie for the most occurrences, the data set has
two modes. For example, if there had been one more 2 in the data
above, the modes would have been 5 and 2.
The median is the middie value of a set of data listed in numerical
order. If a set of data contains an even number of items, it will have
two middle numbers. In this case, to find the median, you average the
two middle numbers.
Let's find the median for the data set listed above. First, put the data
in numerical order, from least value to greatest value.
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Notice there are two middle numbers in this set, 3 and 5. We must average them then to get the median; (3 + 5) + 2 = 4, so 4 is the median!
The range is the difference between the greatest number and the
smallest number in the data set. Range shows how much the data
set rzaries. Let's find the range of the set of data above. The greatest
number is 6, and the smallest number is 1. To find the difference,
we subtract 1 from 6.
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6-1:5
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The range for the data set is 5, so the data vary over 5 values.
^.
^..
SCIENCE SKTLLS WORKSHEETS
73
Name
Date
Class
Making Data Meaningful, continued
Your Turn
Find the statistical measures for the following
sets
of data:
5. 3, 5, 7,9, 5,6, 4,3, Z, 22
a. Mean
b. Mode
c. Median
d.
6.
Range
4,19,3,19,4
a. Mean
b. Mode
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a
c. Median
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d.
Range
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74
HoLT sctENcE AND TEcHNoLocy
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