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Bio 9

Unit 1 Scientific Method: Activity

Part A
Go to: http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/scientific_method_plant_exp.html
Conduct the experiment. The website is interactive; click on the images to conduct the
experiment. Answer the questions below (do not answer the questions on the web site):
1. What is the hypothesis for this experiment?

2. What is the control group for this experiment?

3. What is the test group for this experiment?

4. What is the experimental variable for this experiment?

5. What is dependent variable for this experiment?

6. What are the control variables for this experiment?

7. Make a table summarizing your data for this experiment. (add or remove
rows/columns as needed)

8. Make a graph summarizing your data for this experiment.

a. If your word processing (or other) program makes graph, you may use that.
b. Alternatively, there are a number of graphing programs available online.
i. Once youve made the graph, you have a number of options for
exporting it the easiest may simply be to copy image and paste
the graph directly into this document.
ii. These two programs are good ones (either one should work):
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx
http://www.onlinecharttool.com/graph.php

9. Does your data support or refute the hypothesis?

10. Discuss the implications of your data.

Part B
Go to:
http://www.glencoe.com/sites/common_assets/science/virtual_labs/E16/E16.html
Conduct the experiment and answer the questions below:
1. What is the hypothesis for this experiment?

2. This experiment only has test groups (and no control group). Why is there no control
group for this experiment?

3. What is the experimental variable for this experiment?

4. What is dependent variable for this experiment?

5. What are the control variables for this experiment?

6. Does your data support or refute the hypothesis?

7. Discuss the implications of your data.

Part C
1. What makes a study scientific or not scientific? (Good experiments dont necessarily
need to follow the scientific method as though it were a recipe. But, what do they
need?)

2. Why are controls important in a study?

3. Why are replicates important in a study?

4. Each of the following experiments is attempting to study the placebo effect of

caffeine. Which experiment is designed the best? That is, which one answers the
question the most effectively? You may want to identify the experimental variable in
each experiment to help you answer this question.
A. The control group is given decaffeinated coffee and the test group is given
caffeinated coffee. They are told which group they are in.

B. The control group is given decaffeinated coffee and the test group is given
caffeinated coffee. They are all told that they have been given caffeinated
coffee.
C. The control group and the test group are both given decaffeinated coffee. The
control group is told that they are given decaffeinated coffee and the test group is
told that they are given caffeinated coffee.
D. The control group and the test group are both given flavored water. The test
group is told that this is a new high-caffeine drink. The control group is told that
this is a new non-caffeinated drink.

5. Explain why you picked the answer you did for the previous question.