MBF 3C7. 7 Designing and Conducting An Experiment
Name: ______Partner(s): ______
Part A:
A questionnaire involves asking people about their opinions or habits.
What makes a good question?
➢Questions can often be asked in an open way or with choices that help organize the responses.
Examples of Open Questions:
How much did you spend on entertainment this week?
What is your favourite subject?
Should school cafeterias be banned from selling certain foods? If so, which foods?
Examples of Questions with Choices:
How much did you spend on entertainment last week?
Less than $16 ____$16-$30 _____over $30 _____
Which is your favourite subject? (Choose one)
Math _____Science _____English _____
Tech _____Other _____Don’t have one _____
Foods such as pop, chips, and French fries should be banned in school cafeterias.
Strongly disagree _____Disagree _____Agree _____
Strongley agree _____No opinion _____
Which type of response in these examples do you think would be easier to organize and use? Explain.
➢Try to avoid questions that may bias the results of a survey or provide vague responses.
Here are some ways in which questions can be flawed.
• Lead people to respond in a particular way because of the wording.
• Lead people to respond in a particular way by not providingenough information or alternatives.
• Ask questions that are too general.
• Ask several things at once without allowing for this in the answers.
Part B:
An experiment involves counting or measuring physical properties to test an idea or answer a question.
Designing an Experiment
When you plan an experiment, think about these questions.
➢What factors might influence your results?
How can you consider these factors when you design your experiment?
➢How many observations will you make or for how long will you observe?
➢What materials will you need?
➢How will you record your observations?
Use your answers to these questions to help plan the experiment.
A good experimental plan should include these items:➢The question you are investigating
➢A list of the materials you will need
➢The steps you will follow, in as much detail as possible
➢Any tables you might need for recording your observations
Your Task:
You may complete this project on your own or with one or two partners, maximum three people per group. Your task will be to design an experiment, conduct the experiment and then present, display and analyse the data in a creative way.
Part 1: Designing Your Experiment
Day 1: Thursday, April 30, 2009
- Begin thinking about your experiment read through and complete with your partner(s) pg 333 and page 334 #1-4.
Day 2: Friday, May 1, 2009
- Revise and finalize experiment. Then plan and prepare a report which includes a question, hypothesis, materials and procedure. Follow guidelines from text page 334 under Conducting the Experiment.
- You must have information to Mrs. Morris regarding your sample in order for her to get approval from teacher for your group to conduct and carry out their experiment.
- Prior to next Wed/Thurs you must have Record sheets prepared and organized to make conducting the experiment more efficient when recording the data.
Part 2: Conducting Your Experiment
Day 3/4: Tuesday/Wednesday May 6/7, 2009
- Carry out your experiment. Be sure to record all your data.
Part 3: Displaying and Analysing the Data in a Creative Manner
Day 5/6: Thursday/Friday May 7/8, 2009
- Decide which types of graphs are most appropriate for the data you have collected (refer to previous lesson in this unit as wells as page 340). Create a visual display to represent the data, either by hand or with a spreadsheet.
- If the data are numeric, which measures of central tendency or spread best represent the data? Explain your choice of measures.
- Prepare a presentation to share with the class that answers the question that inspired the experiment. Share the results that you found with reference to your visual display. If you need more data, explain what you have learned so far and what steps you could follow to obtain more data.
- Things to reflect and think about when sharing: Were you able to get data for an appropriate time and place to make your observations? If not, how did this affect your results?
- How could you improve the design of your experiment?
Part 4: Presentation of Display and Analysis
Day 7: Presentation will begin Wednesday May 13, 2009
- Be sure to be creative in your presentation. You may want to present using a form of multi-media (i.e power point, corel presentations) to present on the smartboard.
- Be sure to effectively plan out your presentation so that each member of the group takes on some role in the presentation.
Part 5: Due on day of Presentation:
Each group must submit a typed copy of your presentation that must include all components of the experiment: question, hypothesis, materials, procedure, results, analysis and conclusion.
Remember to stay on task and focused.