Transcript document
Catalyst – January (42 + 3), 2009
1.
2.
3.
What question is this data
table answering?
What is one conclusion we
can make from looking at
this data table?
Write a hypothesis to
answer this question: Why is
hydro (water) power used so
greatly?
Write in complete
sentences!
Don’t talk during
the Catalyst!
Today’s Agenda
Catalyst
Variables Notes and Practice Time
I-N-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-T!
DEPENDENT
CONSTANTS
Exit Question
HOMEWORK TONIGHT!
QUIZ ON THURSDAY!
GUEST SPEAKER ON FRIDAY!
Today’s Objectives
SWBAT identify independent,
dependent, and constant
variables in a scientific
experiment.
Experimentation
Key Point #1: A proper experiment
always has an independent
variable and dependent variable.
The
purpose of an experiment is to
test how changing ONE THING affects
something else.
Variables
Independent Variable: what causes the
change we are measuring (acts
independently)
Dependent variable: what gets changed
(depends on other things)
Remember
Variables
are always CATEGORIES of things:
time, amount, frequency, size, type
Variables are NEVER specific things!!!
Demo
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
videos/dsc/externalApplications/
virtual_labs-es/Plants/index.html
Teacher Models
Scientists have discovered something
shocking: if you eat a lot of candy, then
you will gain fat. What is the
independent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Eat a lot of candy
Type of candy you eat
Amount of candy you eat
How much weight you gain
Teacher Models
Happy students learn more in school. So,
Ms. Stroh believes that starting school
later would increase test scores. What is
the dependent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Starting school later
Happy students
Time that school starts
Test scores
NEW PROCEDURE!
WHITEBOARDS!
Whiteboard Practice
When Ms. Stroh says “GO!”
Send
one member of your group to get
whiteboards and markers for everyone
(back lab bench)
Send up another member of your group to
get napkins for everyone (green bin)
Hurry! Remember, we want to stay under
3 minutes of transition time!
Whiteboards 1
Ms. Stroh believes that the more you
study, the better grades you’ll earn.
What is the independent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Studying more
Amount of time you study
Grade earned
Type of test
Whiteboards 2
Shanel is always cold in class. She
hypothesizes that if she wears many
layers of clothing to school, then she will
be warmer. What is the dependent
variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Number of layers Shanel wears
How cold Shanel is
Temperature of the room
Shanel will be warmer
Whiteboards 3
Ms. Stroh’s students want to test how
easily bought off he is. Students who give
him an apple get a “C.” Students who
give him candy get an “A.” What is the
independent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Type of food
Apples and candy
“A” on the report card
Report card
Whiteboards 4
Jenika hates running, but loves listening to
music. She believes that if she listens to
music while running, then she will run more
often. What is the dependent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
She will run more often
Listens to music while running
Frequency that Jenika runs
What Jenika listens to
If you’re having trouble…
WRONG
4 minutes
26 mg of baking soda
Lifting weights every
day
Medium t-shirts
Bullfrog
16 candles
Never gets sick
RIGHT
Time to get dressed
Amount of baking soda
Frequency of lifting
weights
Size of t-shirts
Type of frog
Number of candles
Degree of health
Review
Ms. Stroh believes that the more you
study, the better grades you’ll earn.
What is the independent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Studying more
Amount of time you study
Grade earned
Type of test
Review
Shanel is always cold in class. She
hypothesizes that if she wears many
layers of clothing to school, then she will
be warmer. What is the dependent
variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Number of layers Shanel wears
How cold Shanel is
Temperature of the room
Shanel will be warmer
Review
Ms. Stroh’s students want to test how
easily bought off he is. Students who give
him an apple get a “C.” Students who
give him candy get an “A.” What is the
independent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
Type of food
Apples and candy
“A” on the report card
Report card
Review
Jenika hates running, but loves listening to
music. She believes that if she listens to
music while running, then she will run more
often. What is the dependent variable?
A.
B.
C.
D.
She will run more often
Listens to music while running
Frequency that Jenika runs
What Jenika listens to
Guided Practice Worksheet
8 minutes to complete
3 minutes to compare answers
KEEP THIS to help you with
homework tonight
Constants
Key Point #2: Everything but the
independent and dependent variable
must be kept constant.
Constant:
If
variable we keep the same
many different things change at once, we
don’t know what causes the change!
Example
Let’s say we want to design an experiment to
determine what causes GSP to win fights.
Number of
fights that
GSP wins
Answer in notes
Jay-Z hypothesizes that if he stops cussing,
then he will sell fewer CDs because students
like cussing.
What
is the IV?
What is the DV?
What are the constants?
Remember,
variables are
CATEGORIES.
If [Jay-Z] stops cussing, then he will sell fewer
CDs because students like cussing.
IV
Frequency that Jay-Z cusses
How often Jay-Z cusses
Amount of curse words in Jay-Z songs
DV
Number of CDs Jay-Z sells
How many CDs Jay-Z sells
Constant
Amount of money CDs cost
Number of tracks on each CD
How good each CD is
Practice
You want to know when in the year there are the most
love bugs. Every night, you record how many love
bugs you find outside.
IV =
Time of year
(season/month)
DV =
Amount of love bugs
Constant =
Practice
Jenika needs to run a 6 minute mile to pass PE. She
believes that if she runs every day, then she will be
able to run faster.
IV =
Frequency that
Jenika runs
DV = Mile time
Constant =
Practice
Students of different genders were given the same
puzzle to assemble. The puzzle assembly time was
measured.
IV =
Type of gender
DV =
Time to assemble
puzzle
Constant =
If there are more students,
then there will be more school
buses.
IV =
Amount of students
DV =
Number of school
buses
Constant =
What depends on what?
IV =
DV =
Amount each beignet costs
Number of beignets
sold
Constant =
If the cost of beignets
increases, then fewer
will be sold.
If the Saints sign more free agents, then they will
win more games.
IV = Number of free agents
DV = Number of games won
Constant =
Conclusion
A proper experiment always has an
independent variable and dependent
variable. Everything but the independent and
dependent variable must be kept constant.
Independent
Variable: what causes the change we are
measuring
Dependent variable: what gets changed
Constant: variable we keep the same
Exit Question
Let’s say you want to figure out if drinking
milk actually makes you taller. So you drink a
glass of milk every day, and record your
height every day.
1.
2.
3.
What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What are at least two constants?
Write in complete sentences!
Don’t talk during the Exit Question!