LESSON ONEThe Scientific Method

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Part 1: Scientific Method Review1. Watch the BrainPop

video and complete your worksheet. You can pause and

rewind the video clip to help you get your answers.

2. Take the quiz after the video and record the correct answers on your worksheet.

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Part 2:The Pizza Experiment

Data Collection and Analysis

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Background:

• It is Thursday and Brian is going to make pizza tomorrow night for friends. The last time he made pizza, the dough did not rise. He wanted to know why, so he researched how yeast works. He found that there was a connection between yeast, sugar, and dough rising. To figure out the connection, he designed an experiment to test the effect of sugar on making dough rise. Brian knows that the more CO2 that is produced by the yeast cells during fermentation, the more the dough will rise.

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Experimental Design:

1. Each bottle gets ¼ cup warm water and ¼ teaspoon of yeast.2. Put the following amount of sugar into each bottle:

– A = No sugar– B = ¼ teaspoon sugar– C = ½ teaspoon sugar– D = 1 teaspoon sugar

3. Place a balloon over the top of each of the four bottles to collect the CO2 given off by the yeast going through fermentation.

4. Measure and record the change in the circumference of each balloon at ½ hour intervals for four hours.

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Results:Initial Measurements (0 min.)

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 0 cm 0 cm 0 cm

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Results:Measurements after 30 min.

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 1 cm 2 cm 2.5 cm

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Results:Measurements after 60 min.

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 2 cm 2.5 cm 3.5 cm

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Results:Measurements after 90 min.

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 3 cm 3.5 cm 4 cm

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Results:Measurements after 120 min.

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 4 cm 4 cm 6 cm

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Results:Measurements after 180 min.

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 5 cm 6 cm 9 cm

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Results:Measurements after 210 min.

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 5.5 cm 7.5 cm 14 cm

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Results:Measurements after 240 min.

Record your results on your data table.

0 cm 5.5 cm 9 cm 20 cm

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Analysis Questions:Answer the following questions on your worksheet…

your vocabulary words have been linked to their definitions if you need extra help!

1. What is the independent variable in this experiment? Why?

2. What is the dependent variable in this experiment? Why?

3. Is there a control in this experiment? Explain.

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• Use your data table to create a line graph for the pizza experiment.

• On your graph be sure to include:– A title– Lines for each of the four bottles used– A legend (key) to identify each of the lines– Axes labeled with the appropriate

variables, scales, and units

Data Analysis:

Click here for hints on setting up graphs. NEXT

Conclusion:Answer the following questions on your worksheet…

your vocabulary words have been linked to their definitions if you need extra help!

4. What would you advise Brian to do to make his pizza dough rise well? Support your answer with data from the graph.

5. Define fermentation.

6. What are some possible sources of error in his experiment? Discuss at least 2.

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Part 3: Designing an Experiment In this last activity you are going to put to

the test all of the skills you mastered in part 1 & 2 to design your own experiment.

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Look very carefully at the picture… In this optical illusion you

should be able to see both a beautiful young woman and an old hag.

Think about the following: Which did you see first? Do you think everyone sees

the same thing first? Does age make a difference

to what you see first? Does gender?

CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO SEE HINTS! NEXT

Designing an Experiment: Develop an experiment to answer the

following question/problem: Does the age of the viewer make a difference in

whether he/she first sees the beauty of the hag when looking at the optical illusion?

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In your experiment be sure to include the following:

A hypothesis. Identify the independent variable. Identify the dependent variable. An experimental design.