Scientific Method Web Tutorial

Carefully navigate to http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/biology/glacier/scientific_method/ or click the “Scientific Method Web Tutorial” link on Mr. Belland’s class website.

On the first screen you do not need to be concerned about a Username or Password. Click on the “Continue” button to proceed. Enter your first and last names in the boxes and then click on the “Continue” button.

On the Scientific Method screen, choose the “Tutorial” button. Proceed through the tutorials using the navigation buttons (“Next” and “Back”) in the lower right corner, answering the questions as you proceed. If you get the answer wrong, go back and return to the question and choose a new answer choice.

Introduction

How many scientific methods do you think there are? ______

How many of the flower box labels are incorrect to start with? ______

In the explanation of how to put the correct label on each flower box, which box is the best one

to open and see a flower from? ______

What is the correct box label order?

Define the Problem

What is the answer to the 7, 3 math problem? ______

What are the three important things to remember when stating the problem?

1. ______

2. ______

3. ______

Collect Information

What else can a hypothesis be considered? ______

Divide 80 by ¼ and subtract 10. What is the correct answer? ______

Do they have a 4th of July in Mexico? ______

How much time would be needed to take 3 pills? ______

How many animals of each species did Moses take with him on the ark? ______

How many of the farmer’s sheep are still alive? ______

Formulate a Hypothesis

Why did Spock relieve Karen of duty? ______

______

How many tries did it take for you to guess the correct number? ______

What was the correct number? ______

Test the Hypothesis

Did Michael employ the scientific method properly? ______

What was the problem with Michael’s experiment? ______

______

For each experiment how many independent variables must there be? ______

How many factors varied in Michael’s experiment? ______

Which conditions varied in Michael’s experiment? ______

______

How many independent variables are in the evaporating water experiment? ______

What is the independent variable? ______

How many controlled factors (constants) are in this experiment? ______

What is the best way to state the problem with the oranges? ______

______

Which factor do you think is responsible for the ripening of the oranges? ______

Is smoke going to be a controlled variable (constant)? ______

Should both oranges be exposed to the same amount of heat and light? ______

Does the data seem to support the hypothesis? ______

Read the explanation of how the smoke ripened the fruit.

Which fruit is the best source of ethylene gas? ______

Draw a Conclusion

What conclusion did the scientists probably reach about the cause of the rat’s death? ______

______

What really caused the rat to die? ______

How was the truck driver able to stop in time to miss hitting the boy? ______

Cricket Experiment

Introduction

Define the Problem

Fill in the chart with the cricket data:

Date / Time / Chirping

What is the problem? ______

______

Collect Information

How do crickets chirp? ______

What type of cricket song do we usually hear?______

Formulate a Hypothesis and Perform the Experiment

1. First choose wind speed as your independent variable. Then run the experiment with three different wind speed values (between 0 and 7). Fill in the data table.

Wind Speed / # of Chirps in 1 min

Does it seem the number of chirps depends on the wind speed? ______

2. Next choose the number of crickets nearby as your independent variable. Then run the experiment with three different values for the number of crickets nearby (between 0 and 20). Fill in the data table.

# of Crickets Nearby / # of Chirps in 1 min

Does it seem the number of chirps depends on the number of crickets nearby? ______

3. Next choose the humidity as your independent variable. Then run the experiment with three different humidity values (between 10 and 80). Fill in the data table.

Humidity / # of Chirps in 1 min

Does it seem the number of chirps depends on the humidity? ______

4. Next choose the atmospheric pressure as your independent variable. Then run the experiment with three different atmospheric pressure values (between 680 and 790). Fill in the data table.

Atmospheric Pressure / # of Chirps in 1 min

Does it seem the number of chirps depends on the atmospheric pressure? ______

5. Finally choose the air temperature as your independent variable. Then run the experiment with three different air temperature values (between 5 and 45). Fill in the data table.

Air Temperature / # of Chirps in 1 min

Does it seem the number of chirps depends on the air temperature? ______

Draw a conclusion

What is the appropriate conclusion for this experiment?

______

______

What is the formula for the relationship between T and N? ______