Biology I Lab - Scientific Method Lab Quiz

When determining the scope of an experiment, you need to consider (Select all that apply)

- The outcome you will investigate - The factor that will vary

According to the results of the pillbug experiment,

Pillbugs tend to prefer cornstarch over sand.

In the pillbug experiment, if the pillbugs in the experimental chamber would have moved to the side of the chamber with sand instead of cornstarch, what would you have concluded?

Pillbugs tend to prefer sand over cornstarch.

In the pillbug experiment, the substance used as the control was

Sand

Place the four phases of the scientific method in order.

1. Hypothesis 2. Experiment 3. Analysis 4. Report

Match the action to the appropriate phase of the scientific method

1. Hypothesis - formulate a hypothesis and create a strategy 2. Experiment - carry out the strategy, collect measurements 3. Analysis - draw graphs, evaluate the hypothesis 4. Report - document results

In the pillbug experiment, how many pillbugs did you need to use to get good information for the experiment?

10

When utilizing the scientific method, there are two types of variables. They are

Dependent and Independent

Imagine that you wish to compare two different diets that will be fed to tadpoles raised in a lab. One diet is a meat-based fish food, and the other is the traditional diet of boiled lettuce. You want to see if the meat-based diet will be associated with an increase in the average weight of the tadpoles. In your experiment you keep all other factors, such as tadpole density per pan, temperature, pH, and the amount of food the same. The only difference between your control and experimental groups is the type of food the tadpoles receive. What is the independent variable for the tadpole diet experiment?

Diet

After a period of time, most of the pillbugs appeared to spend most of their time on the side of the dish with sand, not cornstarch.

False

If the hypothesis in a scientific experiment is not supported, the experiment is considered a complete failure and must be repeated until a satisfactory outcome is reached.

False

In the pillbug experiment, it is important that measurements be taken twice: once at the beginning of the experiment, and once at the end of the experiment.

False

You do not need to pause to record your data as you perform your experiment. You can go back and estimate the values when the experiment is complete.

False

When graphing your data, it is important to

Place the dependent variable on the Y-axis.

When graphing your data, it is important that you

Place the independent variable on the X-axis.

There are two, two-sided dishes in the pillbug experiment. In one dish, you should have placed sand in both sides. In the other dish, you should have placed ______ in one side and ______ in the other.

Sand; cornstarch

In order to come to reliable conclusions about pillbug preferences, you needed to use the

Scientific Method

Before you begin a scientific experiment, you should (Select all that apply)

State a hypothesis Decide on a strategy

In the pillbug experiment, an important part of the experimental strategy was to

Make observations at regular intervals.

If you wanted to test whether or not a particular pain reliever was effective in the general population, you would need to design an experiment with an experimental group and a control group. What should be the only difference between these two groups?

Treatment: The experimental group should get the pain reliever, and the control group should get a placebo

Some students consume large amounts of coffee and so-called energy drinks to help them stay alert when studying. You notice that many who engage in this practice seem to do poorly on exams. Suppose you want to investigate the relationship between caffeine consumption and exam performance. Which of the following statements would be an appropriate hypothesis?

Students who consume large amounts of caffeine while studying will have lower exam scores than those who consume less caffeine.

Imagine that you wish to compare two different diets that will be fed to tadpoles raised in a lab. One diet is a meat-based fish food, and the other is the traditional diet of boiled lettuce. You want to see if the meat-based diet will be associated with an increase in the average weight of the tadpoles. In your experiment you keep all other factors, such as tadpole density per pan, temperature, pH, and the amount of food the same. The only difference between your control and experimental groups is the type of food the tadpoles receive. Which is a good hypothesis for this tadpole experiment?

Tadpole size will be unpredictable if fed a meat-based diet.

You should use the graph generated from your data to see if your hypothesis is supported.

True

In the pillbug experiment, your hypothesis

Was related to the environment pillbugs prefer.