November Focus Writing a Title Page, Purpose, Hypothesis,

Materials List, Procedures & Variables

Is there a relationship between air temperature and cricket’s chirping?

●Scientific inquiry – the diverse ways in which scientists study the natural world and propose explanations based on the evidence they gather.

Title Page

What is your experiment about?Be Creative!Have Fun!Let’s practice with the cricket experiment...

Posing Questions●Scientific Inquiry begins with a problem or

question about an observation1. The Effect question:

What is the effect of ___________ on ___________?sunlight

the growth of plantseye color

pupil dilationoil

a ramp

2. The How Does Affect Question:How does the ___________ affect _____________?

color of lightthe growth of plants

humiditythe growth of fungi

Now its your turn:●Create your science fair question using either

“Effect Question”, or the “How does Affect Question”

What is the effect of air temperature on the number of chirps a cricket makes?

Purpose StatementTurn your experimental question into your purpose statement

Let’s practice with the cricket experiment...

Developing a Hypothesis●A hypothesis is a possible explanation for a

set of observations or answer to a scientific question.

●It is not a fact, but instead, it is only one possible way to explain a group of observations.

●It must be testable. This means that researchers must be able to carry out investigations and gather evidence that will either support or disprove the hypothesis.

Example of a HypothesisIf crickets are placed in a 30 degree Celsius environment, then their chirping rate will increase by 25% .

Examples of Hypotheses● If classical music is played while Wisconsin Fast Plants grow, then

the Wisconsin Fast Plants will grow taller to when rap, rock and roll, or country is played.

● If the subject plays Halo 2 for 30 minutes, then his/her heart rate will rise by 30%.

● If the color placed in front of the heat lamp is a dark color such as the color black, then the energy absorbed will increase by eight degrees Celsius when exposed to the energy source for 9 minutes.

● If the level of acetic acid in orange juice is reduced by 25%, then the vitamin C content will not be altered.

● If channel depth is decreased on the wave’s amplitude, then the amplitude of the wave will increase.

Now its your turn:●Now it is time to PREDICT what you think will

happen if you test your problem. This type of “SMART GUESS” or PREDICTION is what real scientists call a HYPOTHESIS.

●How do you begin? Just answer this very simple question:What do you think will happen, (even before you start your experiment)?

●Then, write the statement using the following format:●If ________________, then ____________.●Include specifics by quantifying items within

this statement; percent, amount of, time, etc.●How to Write a Hypothesis - Practice Worksheet

MaterialsWhat type of supplies and equipment will you need to complete your science fair

project?

By making a complete list ahead of time, you can make sure that you have everything on

hand when you need it. Some items may take time to obtain, so making a materials list

in advance represents good planning!

Make the materials list as specific as possible, and be sure you can get everything you

need before you start your science fair project.

A Good Materials List Is Very Specific A Bad Materials List

500 ml of de-ionized water Water

Stopwatch with 0.1 sec accuracy Clock

Four (4) AA alkaline batteries Batteries

Materials: EXAMPLESA Good Example of Materials List Is Very Specific

500 ml of de-ionized water

Stopwatch with 0.1 sec accuracy

Four (4) AA alkaline batteries

A Bad Example Materials List

Water

Clock

Batteries

Procedures● Write the experimental procedure like a step-by-step recipe for your science

experiment. A good procedure is so detailed and complete that it lets someone else

duplicate your experiment exactly!

● Repeating a science experiment is an important step to verify that your results

are consistent and not just an accident.o For a typical experiment, you should plan to repeat it at least ten times (more is

better) for each group (control and experimental).o If you are doing something like growing plants, then you should do the

experiment on at least ten plants in separate pots (that's the same as doing the experiment ten times).

o If you are doing an experiment that involves testing or surveying different groups, you won't need to repeat the experiment ten times, but you will need to test or survey a sufficient number of participants to insure that your results are reliable. You will almost always need many more than ten participants!

ProceduresLET’S PRACTICE:

1. How to make a PB & J Sandwich

2. How to make an ice cream sundae

Variables●To test your hypothesis scientists design an

experiment in such a way that an experiment will yield results that will either support or not support their hypothesis.

1. Controlling Experiments:2. Setting up a Controlled Experiment3. Forming Operational Definitions

Hypothesis = If crickets are placed in a 30 degree Celsius environment, then their chirping rate will increase by 25% .

Independent variable = air temperatureDependent variable = number of cricket chirpsOther variables to control = type of crickets, type of container, type of thermometer used, the time of day data is recorded.

Variables – Step #1 = Controlling Variables

●Controlled Experiment = an experiment in which only one variable is manipulated at a time

●Includes a control group = a group in which not variables are changed; offering you the ability to compare experimental groups to the control groups.

Variables – Step #2 Setting up a Controlled Experiment

●Operational Definition is a statement that describes how to measure a particular variable or define a particular term.

●For example, in the experiment with crickets, one would need to determine what sounds will count as a single “chirp”.

Variables – Step #3 = Forming Operational Definitions