Transcript Unit 8 b. Conducting the Experiment

Conducting the Experiment
Measuring and Monitoring Data
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I predict
When you design an experiment you need to have an
idea or a theory of what the outcome will be.
This is called making a hypothesis.
After you have conducted the experiment, you will find out
whether your theory was correct. You will prove your
hypothesis to be right or wrong.
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For example: your experiment is
monitoring the temperature of a
room for two days.
Your hypothesis may be: The
heating can be turned off for
at least four hours each day.
Try and see if you can
prove the hypothesis right
or wrong on the next slide.
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It’s all in the plan
When planning an experiment you have to decide
certain things:
what are you trying to measure?
what sensors will help you to measure it?
can the sensors be connected to a computer or
is it best to use a portable data logger?
how often do you want to take readings?
how long do you want to take readings for?
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Figuring out the numbers
Once you’ve collected your data, the data logging software
will be able to display the data that has been recorded on the
monitor or on a printer in a number of different formats.
These include tables:
Room Temperature
A.M.
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time Day 1
Day 2
12
5°
4°
2
9°
4
Room Temperature
time Day 1
Day 2
12
22°
20°
8°
2
20°
21°
11°
10°
4
20°
19°
6
13°
12°
6
19°
15°
8
17°
16°
8
11°
10°
10
20°
19°
10
8°
6°
P.M.
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and graphs:
The graphs can be different types. One example is a
line graph of a measurement, such as temperature
plotted against time as above.
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A line graph is a good way of showing results and it enables
you to extract information easily.
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Summary
Before conducting the experiment decide on a
hypothesis.
There are a number of things that need to be planned
before conducting an experiment.
Tables and graphs enable data to be easily interpreted.
What can I
remember?
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