Exercise 1

Ashley Larrieux
BSC1005L

Introduction to Science May 11, 2020

Data Interpretation
EXERCISE 1: DATA INTERPRETATION

Dissolved oxygen is oxygen that is trapped in a fluid. Since many living organisms require oxygen to survive, it is a necessary
component of water systems (streams, lakes, rivers, etc.), in order to support aquatic life. Dissolved oxygen is measured in units
of ppm (parts per million). Examine the data in Table 4 showing the amount of dissolved oxygen present and the number of fish
observed in the body of water the sample was taken from. Finally, answer the questions below.

Table 4: Water Quality vs. Fish Population

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18
Dissolved Oxygen (ppm)

0 1 3 10 12 13 15 10 12 13
Number of Fish Observed in Water

1. What patterns do you observe based on the information in Table 4?

Table 4 above shows that dissolved oxygen is gradually increasing, and the number of fish observed in water has an irregular
pattern. Column 1 to 5, you would need to add 1,2,7,2 to transition between the number of fish observed in water, while
column 5 to 9, you would need to add 1,2,5,2 to transition between the number of fish observed in water.

2. Develop a hypothesis relating to the amount of dissolved oxygen measured in the water sample and the number of fish

observed in the body of water.

If the dissolved oxygen continues to increase by two, then the number of fish observed in water will continue to have a pattern
between each 3-4 column, the number will decrease by 2.

3. What would your experimental approach be to test this hypothesis?

My experimental approach to test this hypothesis would include two different tanks. Tank 1 would have fewer numbers of fish,
and Tank 2 would have the most numbers of fish, while both tanks have a water quality of 2 ppm.

4. What would be the independent and dependent variables?

The independent variable of my experiment would be the ppm of the dissolved oxygen. The dependent variable of my
experiment would be the number of fish I observe in water.

5. What would be your control?

The control in my experiment would be the temperature of the tanks. I would see if the original temperature and somewhere
with the opposite temperature would affect the data. This will help me know if my hypotheses is true or not and will prove
whether or not the dissolved oxygen affects the lifespan of the fish.

6. What type of graph would be appropriate for this data set? Why?

I think the appropriate graph for this data would be a column graph. I chose a column graph so that it would be easier to show
the data of the two experiments together.

7. Graph the data from Table 4.

My graph is shown at the bottom of the page.

8. Interpret the data from the graph you made in Question 7.

On the left-hand side of the graph, I numbered it 0-20 to show the number of fish observed. On the bottom of the graph is the
dissolved oxygen in ppm’s counted by twos, I numbered it 0-18 starting with zero then two up to eighteen. Throughout the
graph, you can see the irregular patterns.

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