Testable question, hypothesis and prediction

1. Testable question, hypothesis and prediction Helpful hints for planning your Wednesday investigation

2. Goals (from state science standards) • 9-12 INQA Question • Generate and evaluate a question that can be answered through a scientific investigation. • 9-12 INQB Investigate • Plan and conduct a scientific investigation, choosing a method appropriate to the question being asked. • Collect, analyze, and display data using calculators, computers, or other technical devices when available. • 9-12 INQC Explain • Draw conclusions supported by evidence from the investigation and consistent with established scientific knowledge. • Analyze alternative explanations and decide which best fits the data and evidence. • 9-12 INQD Communicate • Write a detailed laboratory report that includes: the question that motivated the study, a justification for the kind of investigation chosen, hypotheses (if any), a description of what was done, a summary of data in tables and graphs, and a conclusion, based on the evidence, that responds to the question.

3. Math Standards • Generic (All Grades) - As middle school students deal with increasingly complex statistical data and represent proportional relationships with graphs and tables, a calculator or technological tool with these functions can be useful for representing relationships in multiple ways. At the high school level, graphing calculators become valuable tools as all students tackle the challenges of algebra and geometry to prepare for a range of postsecondary options in a technological world. Graphing calculators and spreadsheets allow students to explore and solve problems with classes of functions in ways that were previously impossible.

4. Math Standards • 6.6.H-7.6H-8.5H Make and test conjectures based on data (or information) collected from explorations and experiments. • A1.1.A Select and justify functions and equations to • model and solve problems. • A1.3.A Determine whether a relationship is a function • and identify the domain, range, roots, and • independent and dependent variables.

5. Writingtestable questions • They should be formatted such as “What will happen if…?” and “What is the relationship between…?” • Your question should include something you vary (manipulate) and something you think will or will not change based on the manipulation. • A well-written question makes it easier to make a hypothesis and develop a procedure • “How” and “Why” questions are not appropriate for short scientific investigations using probes.

6. Writing a testable hypothesis • Your hypothesis must involve a manipulated (independent) and a responding (dependent) variable. • The manipulated variable is the one that you decide to change. • The responding variable is the one that changes (or not) because of the choices you made with the manipulated variable. Hypothesis format: • If I change the manipulated variable in some way, then the responding variable will change in this way because of this reason.

7. Prediction and example • The prediction is a specific choice based on the hypothesis. Example from consumer science Question: Is there a relationship between paper towel thickness and the weight it will hold? Hypothesis: If I increase the thickness of the paper towel used, then the towel will hold more weight because there are more fiber connections within the towel. Prediction: Paper towel B will hold the most weight because it is the thickest.

8. Designing a procedure • You may use any available probes to support or refute your hypothesis. • Your steps should be specific enough that another group could duplicate your work. • Planning with other groups will allow you to create a richer investigation. • Develop a simple way to determine the uncertainty in your measurements

9. Results/Discussion/Conclusion • You should have both quantitative (tables, graphs, etc.) and qualitative (photos, data, etc.) to support your investigation. • The discussion section is where you make sense of your data and describe how it supports or does not support your hypothesis. • Describe the uncertainties in your data and any possible confounds to your method in your discussion section. • Your conclusion should state whether your hypothesis was supported and provide a specific answer to your question.

10. Reporting on your experiment • On Wednesday afternoon, your research team will develop a report using some the analysis and presentation tools you have been introduced to over the past two summers. • Other groups and the workshop facilitators will watch, learn from, and evaluate your presentations from the comfort of their computer screen. • Thus you need to make sure that all relevant aspects of your presentation are clearly and completely addressed.

11. Presentation components • Question • Hypothesis (prediction is optional) • Materials • Methods/Procedure • Results (Quantitative and qualitative) • Discussion • Conclusion

12. Components from a similar CWU project • Introduction - Introduce the concept of the experiment in clear and understandable terms and establish relevance to everyday life and/or student experience.  Provide at least 2 references to support your background information. • Question, Hypothesis, Prediction - Ask research question so that independent and dependent variables are clearly understood.  State hypothesis so that anticipated relationship between independent and dependent variables are clear and why there may be a relationship.  State prediction so that specific anticipated outcomes are made clear.

13. Components from a similar CWU project • Materials and Methods - Describe materials and methods in sufficient detail (third person perspective) so that experiment can be easily replicated by another person.   Demonstrate that only one independent variable is tested and that other variables non-treatment variables are controlled for.  Include specifics with regards to units, measurements, etc. • Qualitative Results - Provide pictures, descriptions, and general observations taken during your experiment.  Do not discuss the implications of your results; simply report them in this section. • Quantitative Results - Provide graphs, statistics, and other measurement data in this section.  As with qualitative, do not discuss the implications of your results here but rather in the Discussion section.

14. Components from a similar CWU project • Discussion - This section should include both data relationships and experimental confounds. Describe the relationships that are evident from your data analysis. This section should be fairly extensive and descriptive. Also describe the variables you were able to control, those you were able to account for, and those that were completely outside your control that may have influenced your experimental outcomes. Also provide some specific suggestions for how to improve your experiment for next time. • Conclusions - Based on your experimental results and discussion, provide a final answer for your research question(s). • References - Include a complete bibliography of all literature sources used in your UFO clearly and completely formatted. You must have at least two sources.