Scientific method reading worksheet answers

Worksheet 2: Research and the Scientific Method

Objective: The objective of this lab is to reinforce the steps of the Scientific Method.

Reading assignment: Section 1.5 and 1.6 in Essentials of the Living World.

Open the PDF Research and Scientific Method . This is from Hands On Labs, the makers of the kit you will be using later this semester. You do not need your kit for this experiment. Read the Background information along with Section 1.5 and 1.6 in Essentials of the Living World.

For Exercise 1 choose either the Soybean Study OR the Weight Loss Study, following the steps in the pdf and fill out the Data Table 1 of the Worksheet Scientific Method. You do not have to do both studies. You do need to do an internet research on the topic you choose.

Exercise 1: The Scientific Method and Real-World Problems

Data Table 1. The Scientific Method and Real-World Problems. Choose one of the following studies to complete.

Soy bean study

1) Ask a question

2) Research what is already known

3) Create a hypothesis

4) Test the hypothesis

Weight loss study

1) Ask a question

2) Research what is already known

3) Create a hypothesis

4) Test the hypothesis

Questions:

A) List and describe the steps of the scientific method.

B) When you make important decisions in your life, do you use any of the steps in scientific method? Compare a person's typical decision-making process to the scientific method. Which of the steps in the scientific method do we typically use and which do we omit?

C) Make a scientific observation about the world around you and construct a question to address the observation. State a testable hypothesis that focuses your question.

For Exercise 2 read the information for the Human Body Proportion Experiment. Compose a hypothesis and design a study to test your hypothesis. Possible questions you may consider could include:

Does height/wingspan proportion differ in males and females?

Does height/wingspan proportion change with age?

Using the class data provided (an Excel file), determine the results of your study and determine your conclusion. Please remember that data must be to the hundredth decimal place (1.04 or 0.96) and should not be rounded up to a higher decimal place. Thus 1.04 and 0.96 are significantly different and should not be treated as “1”. You do not have to do an internet background search.

Exercise 2: Correlation Study

Data Table 2. Correlation Study

Question:

State the question you

are asking here:

Hypothesis:

State the hypothesis

that you will test here:

Experimental Design:

Describe the calculations

that you performed here:

Results:

Briefly describe the

results that

you found here:

Conclusions:

Explain what you could

conclude about your

hypothesis here:

Questions:

Use the information collected in the Class Data Table to support your answers to the following questions.

A) Was there a pattern to the proportions between subjects? If yes, what was the pattern?

B) Did your conclusion support or refute your hypothesis?

C) Is your experimental data valid enough to reach a conclusion? Do you think your results are meaningful? Explain your answer.

D) If you were going to perform a follow-up study to the one performed in this exercise, what would you do? How would you change your approach or sampling pool?

After you have answered all the questions on the worksheet submit it using Blackboard.

Take Lab Quiz 2. This will cover information found on the pdf.