Scientific Method: Controls and Variables



Scientific Method: Controls and Variables

The Transformers Edition

Write a definition for each:

Control –

Variable –

Independent Variable –

Dependent Variable –

Read the following five passages and answer the corresponding questions. Remember to use complete sentences!

Hyper-Speed Fuel

Starscream thinks that a special fuel will make he and the other flying Decepticons

quicker. He creates two groups of 10 flyers each and assigns each group to fly

as far as they could in 1 hour. Both groups were given a fuel to use. Group A is

given the special fuel while Group B is given a fuel that is not the special fuel.

Both groups were told that they were getting the special Hyper-Speed fuel. After the

flight, Starscream records how far each group was able to fly in total. Group A flew

550 kilometers, Group B flew 625 kilometers.  Flyers in both groups reported that they felt

like they were flying faster because of the fuel.

1. Which flyers were in the control group?

2. What is the independent variable?

3. What is the dependent variable?

4. What should Starscreams' conclusion be?

5. Why do you think that people in group B reported that they felt like the fuel helped even though it was not the special fuel (besides being scared of Starscream)?

Clean Washing station

After fighting a recent wave of extra-dimensional aliens, Bumblebee notices that his washing station is covered in a strange green slime. His friend Jazz tells him that used machine oil will get rid of the green slime. Bumblebee decides to check this out by spraying half of the washing station with used machine oil. He sprays the other half of the washing station with water. After 3 days of "treatment" there is no change in the appearance of the green slime on either side of the washing station.

6. What was the problem Bumblebee wanted to investigate?

7. What is the independent variable?

8. What is the dependent variable?

9. What should Bumblebee's conclusion be?

Arcee’s Mice

Arcee is an amazing physicist in addition to being a rough-and-tumble Transformer. In trying to find what caused the Matrix to have strange effects of humans, she developed two treatments she thought would increase the strength of mice. In order to test her hypothesis, Arcee exposed groups of 15 mice each to the treatment. One group did not get treated while the other two were affected with the treatments developed by Arcee. Her test consisted of a heavy block of wood that blocked the mouse from reaching its food. The results of her experiment are below. The number represents how many mice were able to move the wooden block.

|Trial |Water |Treatment #1 |Treatment #2 |

|1 |12 |7 |11 |

|2 |10 |14 |12 |

|3 |9 |10 |15 |

10. What is the independent variable?

11. What is the dependent variable?

12. What should Arcee’s conclusion be?

13. Are the results reliable? Why or why not?

Super Cable

Mixmaster needs new cables for the Decepticons heavy lifting robots! Mixmaster found some nano-fiber cable through a defense department contractor. The specifications for it claim that Super Cable can hold loads that are one and a half times as heavy as loads held by their current cable of the same width. Mixmaster made up twenty lengths of cable. Half of the lengths were made with Super Cable, while the other half were made with the same amount of their current cable. Mixmaster used weights to measure how much each length of cable would hold before breaking. The results below are recorded in the table below.

|Mass Held |

|(number of kilograms held) |

|Sample |Normal Cable |Super Cable |

|1 |1000 |1500 |

|2 |500 |1200 |

|3 |1600 |1200 |

|4 |1400 |2000 |

|5 |1100 |2400 |

|6 |1200 |1400 |

|7 |1100 |1600 |

|8 |1500 |2000 |

|9 |1500 |1500 |

|10 |600 |1300 |

14. What did the Super Cable specs claim?

15. What is the independent variable?

16. What is the dependent variable?

17. Look at the results in the chart.

a. Calculate the average mass each cable holds.

Super Cable = ______ kg Normal Cable = ________ kg

b. What should their conclusion be?

18. Are the results reliable? Why or why not?

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