Experimental Design
A. What is the scientific method?The scientific method is a series of steps used to test ideas to see if the idea is correct. The scientific method can also be used to fix or add information. Extra steps can be added to experiments. There is no exact or perfect set. The scientific method can be used by anyone and the experiments should be repeatable.
B. Reference Links
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C. Scientific Method Steps
D. Practicing the Scientific MethodI explored a certain topic and have an idea to try and test 1) obtain data to add information to the graph, 2) identify the variables to continue on the next step, 3) develop a hypothesis to experiment, 4-5) design a reasonable controlled experiment that can be repeatable and 6) predict the results with the help of a partner.
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E. Experimental Data
Part 1: I used data to create a graph using Google spreadsheet. I saved my image and I uploaded the graph below. The graph demonstrated an inverse relationship between the concentration of ethylene and time in days for the apples to mature because it was observed that as the ethylene increases, days to maturity decreased. Ethylene causes fruit to ripen or mature.
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F. VariablesPart 2: Potential environmental variables to consider:
G. HypothesisPart 3: I selected variable sunlight with the help of my partner.
I selected the variable for sunlight to develop my experiment. I believe that apple maturation time of apple trees will be affected by sunlight exposure time because I have seen plants grow inside of houses in shade and the plants seemed to grow slower than the plants outside. If my hypothesis is correct, I will observe a decrease in time for an apple to ripen when it is receiving more sunlight than when it is receiving less sunlight as measured by the time it took for apples to ripen (as indicated by color). Independent variable: Sunlight Dependent variable: Time to Apple Maturation |
H. Experimental DesignPart 5: Experimental Procedure
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I. Control GroupsPart 4: Control Groups: A group of apple trees inside of a greenhouse all day.
Experimental Groups:
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J. Expected Results
Part 6: From my data, I am predicting that the apple trees that are placed outside in direct sunlight will be the closest maturation time compared to the control group. Also, I think that the apple trees that were put inside a dark room for the time of the experiment will be the slowest group of apples to mature. I am not sure about the light of the UV Rays. I conclude that the UV Ray group will grow at a slower rate regular sunlight because UV Rays are a different light than sunlight.
Deeper Analyses Viewing Experiments
- Hypothesis: Will yoga help reduce stress for better school performance?
- Independent variable: The group selected to practice yoga. Dependent variable: The scores of the students.
- Experimental procedure: Create two groups that will have one group practice yoga (experimental) and one group not practice yoga (control). Give a test to determine where a student will be placed on the two groups. The experimental group will receive one hour to practice yoga for 7 weeks. Gather data by giving academic performance test to both groups after the 7 weeks. Compare the data between the two groups and conclude the results.
- Control used: The students who never practiced yoga.
- Data collection methods: The data was collected during a 7 week-long experiment. The subjects were tested before and after the experiment.
- Possible Improvements: The results could have compared between high stress and low stress from the control or experimental groups.
- Conclusions and Next question: Stress does affect the performance of a student. The students who did yoga (experimental) did better than the students who did not practice yoga (control). The confidence level of a high stress or low stress student did effect the performance of a student. A result was created that revealed the performance of the control and experimental group. The experimental group had a score of 32.63 while the control group had 22.44. Was there a change in the school schedule during the experiment? Will the study influence schools to practice yoga in the future?