Experiments Flashcards
List your five senses.
Sight Sound Touch Smell Hearing
State which of the abbreviations below are
correct for these units:
a gram
g
State which of the abbreviations below are
correct for these units:
kilogram
kg
State which of the abbreviations below are
correct for these units:
millimetre
mL
State which of the abbreviations below are
correct for these units:
litre
L
State which of the abbreviations below are
correct for these units:
minute
min
Identify the best metric unit to use to measure the length of:
a a bull-ant
b the length of a cricket field
c the distance between Brisbane and Sydney.
a) mm
b) hectare
c) km
Identify the best SI unit to measure the: a mass of a mouse b time it takes to sneeze c temperature of a sick dog d mass of a person e volume of a swimming pool
a) g
b) s
c) °C
d) kg
e) L
Below is an observation, an inference and a prediction. Identify which is which.
•1. The colours of a felt-tip pen ran when they got wet.
•2 Washing should get the stain of a felt-tip pen out of my shirt.
•3 The inks used in a felt-tip pen can dissolve in water.
- Observation
- Prediction
- Inference
State what is wrong with the way these measurements have been recorded.
a The mass of a mouse = 15014 g.
b The car was travelling at 100.
c A full bottle of soft drink contained 1.25 mL.
b.. does not have a unit of measure
Classify the following observations as qualitative or quantitative.
a The night was dark.
b It took 15 minutes to walk to school.
a. qualitative
b. Quantitative
Define Inference
logical explanation given a set of measurements and observations
Define Prediction
A prediction must be logical and must be based on the observations you made in your experiments. An outcome that may happen.
What is the purpose of scientific reports?
scientific report to explain how they ran an experiment, what they measured and how they interpreted the results.
What is the purpose of tables and graphs?
Tables and graphs help to display patterns in their measurements.
Why display results in tables?
Measurements and observations are easier to read and analyse if they are displayed in tables. Trends are also easier to spot.
Why use graphs
A graph shows trends in measurements even more clearly than tables do.
Why use graphs?
A graph shows trends in measurements even more clearly than tables do.
When to use Bar and column graphs?
When you have a set of observations that are discrete. These discrete values are displayed on one of the axes of the graph while numbers are displayed on the other axis.
Axes are the horizontal and vertical lines ‘framing’ the graph.
When do you use pie graphs?
Discrete groupings are also used to construct pie graphs or sector graphs. A pie graph shows the proportions of each grouping within a total. In a pie graph, the whole pie represents 100%, half the pie represents 50% and a quarter-pie represents 25%. As an example, Figure 1.4.2 shows the percentages of different animals living in a nature reserve.
What are line graphs?
Measurements involve numbers that are not discrete but continuous. This means that if you choose two numbers, then you can always find other numbers in between them. Eg Length, mass, time, volume and temperature measurements are continuous
What are the components of a scientific Report?
Purpose
Hypothesis
Define Purpose
Purpose The purpose or aim is what you wanted to do in an experiment or practical activity, what you wanted to show or wanted to prove.
Define Hypothesis
You probably have some idea of what might happen in an experiment even before you start it. This ‘educated guess’ is called your hypothesis. A hypothesis is an inference based on what you already know. A hypothesis is not always included in a scientific report.
Define Materials
This is a list of all the important equipment, chemicals and materials that you used. If equipment comes in different sizes, then make sure you include the size you used (for example, 250 mL beaker).
Define Procedure
The procedure or method is a detailed list of what you did in the experiment. You must include what quantities were used (for example, 5 g, 2 spatula loads or 10 mL), and the exact order in which the steps of the experiment were performed. A diagram of the experiment is a useful way of showing what you did.
What are the components of a scientific Report?
Purpose Hypothesis Materials Procedure Results Discussion or analysis Conclusion
Define Results
Results include all your observations and all your measurements, preferably displayed in a table. This is also where you include graphs and calculations
Discussion or analysis
an explanation about what you think your results showed about the experiment
• what you have found about the experiment from other sources such as textbooks, the internet or encyclopaedias
• a description of any problems you had with the experiment and what you did to overcome them. Most investigations will have a set of questions that will guide you through your discussion.
Define Purpose / Aim
Purpose The purpose or aim is what you wanted to do in an experiment or practical activity, what you wanted to show or wanted to prove.
Define Hypothesis /educated guess
You probably have some idea of what might happen in an experiment even before you start it. This ‘educated guess’ is called your hypothesis. A hypothesis is an inference based on what you already know. A hypothesis is not always included in a scientific report.
Define Materials / Equipment
This is a list of all the important equipment, chemicals and materials that you used. If equipment comes in different sizes, then make sure you include the size you used (for example, 250 mL beaker).
Define Procedure / Instructions
The procedure or method is a detailed list of what you did in the experiment. You must include what quantities were used (for example, 5 g, 2 spatula loads or 10 mL), and the exact order in which the steps of the experiment were performed. A diagram of the experiment is a useful way of showing what you did.
Define Results / Outcomes
Results include all your observations and all your measurements, preferably displayed in a table. This is also where you include graphs and calculations
Discussion or analysis
an explanation about what you think your results showed about the experiment
• what you have found about the experiment from other sources such as textbooks, the internet or encyclopaedias
• a description of any problems you had with the experiment and what you did to overcome them. Most investigations will have a set of questions that will guide you through your discussion.
Define Conclusion
Your conclusion needs to summarise what you have found out in the experiment. The conclusion should be short and must relate to the purpose.
What are variables , give an example
Many different factors influence what happens in an experiment.
What are variables? give an example
Many different factors influence what happens in an experiment.
The time taken to run 100m will depend on many variables, such as the age, weight and fitness of the runner, the shoes being worn, the direction of the wind and whether the surface was grass, concrete or sand.
How do you make sure you run a fair test?
Only change one variable at a time
What is a dependent variable?
his is what you are trying to measure. It depends on all the other variables. For the 100-metre run, the dependent variable is the time taken.
What is an independent variable?
this is the variable that you want to test and is what the dependent variable depends on. Change this and what you are trying to measure will probably change too. For the 100-metre run, you might choose to test the surface run on, and so this would be the independent variable.
What are controlled variables?
these are all the other variables that you don’t want to test right now. These are kept constant.
