Unit 1 - Experimental Design Practice Quiz - Erin Morgan | Laabri

Below is the video clip we watched in class from the show "Mythbusters." In this episode, the hosts sought to test the question, "Are elephants really afraid of mice?" using the scientific method. Rewatch the clip if you need to, then answer the questions below.

1

Place in order the scientific method steps taken by the Mythbusters:

Make a hypothesis
Analyze results & draw conclusion
Conduct experiment & collect data
Ask a question

1

What was the Mythbusters' hypothesis?

If an elephant is afraid of mice, then it will also be afraid of dung.

If an elephant sees a mouse, then it will be frightened.

If an elephant sees a mouse, then it won't react.

1

What is the independent variable in this experiment? (Hint: what were they changing?)

Whether the mouse was white or gray

Whether the mouse is under the dung or not

The size of the dung used to hid the mouse

Whether the elephant was male or female

1

What was the dependent variable? (Hint: What data were they collecting?)

The mouse's speed

It depends

Whether the elephant seemed frightened or not

How quickly they pulled the dung

1

They tried to pull the dung away at the same speed whether the mouse was under it or not. Why?

Because it is a variable - it makes the test more interesting to vary the speed of the dung

Because that is a constant - the test results could be affected if the dung moved differently in the two tests

Because they did not want to startle the mouse

1

The Mythbusters want to improve their experiment to make sure the results are accurate. Which of the following changes would you recommend?

Repeat the test more times and with more than one elephant

Repeat the test with a herd of giraffes

Measure the heights and weights of each elephant

Build a mini-catapault to launch the mice at the elephants

Great! Practice on a few more examples - questions 7-9. For each experimental question, identify the independent variable (IV), dependent variable (DV), and constants.

For Each, Ask Yourself:

What is the scientist changing on purpose so that they can answer the question? -- Independent Variable.
What is being measured? What data (numbers) are being collected? - Dependent Variable.
What is staying the same in all of the exeriments? -- these are your Constants.

2

Which type of sunscreen prevents burns for the longest amount of time?

amount of sunscreen used
brand of sunscreen
time it takes to get burnt (minutes)
skin tone of persons being tested
time of day

Independant Variable
Dependent Variable
Constants (3)

2

Ron wants to see which fast food restaurant has french fries that will take the longest to grow mold.

Days until mold grows
Fries from different restraurants
Room where fries are stored
Number of french fries

Independant Variable
Dependent Variable
Constants (2)

2

What type of physical activity gives you the highest heart rate?

Heart rate (beats per minute)
Time spent on activity
Outside temperature
Type of physical activity

Independant Variable
Dependent Variable
Constants (3)

3

I've heard a myth - that chewing gum while you take tests helps people perform better on tests. How could you design an experiment to test whether this is true? Use a short paragraph or numbered procedures to describe what you would do.