Planning and designing (PD) experiments

You are required to complete TWO of the planning and designing exercises below

1. There are different types of mouthwashes available on the market. Many persons complain about
the burning effects of alcohol-based mouthwashes and switch to the alcohol-free version. Do
they have similar antimicrobial activity?

Plan and design an experiment that assesses the antimicrobial efficacy of mouthwash in inhibiting
the growth of bacteria found in the mouth.

2. Many hospitals and other public buildings now use alcohol-based hand gels to help prevent the
spread of infection. These hand gels contain a high concentration of an alcohol (such as ethanol)
and a mixture of other components to help thicken and perfume the gel.

Plan an investigation to discover the minimum concentration of ethanol that is needed to inhibit
the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli)

3. A student was given some lentil peas to germinate and wanted to find out if the pH of the water
affects the rate of germination.

Plan and design an investigation to compare the effects of water of varying pH on the germination
of lentils.

4. Plants can be grown in glasshouses, using hydroponics. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants
that replaces soil with solutions containing mineral ions.

Plan an investigation to find the optimum concentration of magnesium ions in the mineral ion
solution used to grow the plants.

5. A student observed that vegetables are often cooked and then kept warm for a period of time
before being eaten.

Plan and design an investigation to test if the length of time that vegetables are kept warm after
being cooked alters the vitamin C content of a named vegetable.

6. The male breadfruit flower repels nearby mosquitoes when dried and burned. A student
extracted the essential oils from the breadfruit leaves.

Plan and design an experiment to determine if the essential oil from breadfruit leaves can repel
aedes aegypti mosquitoes.
 How to set out a planning and designing report

Date: insert the submission date

Title: Give an appropriate title

Introduction

• Give the problem statement/scenario for your experiment (taken from the PD document)
• Give an explanation of all the underlying scientific principles related to this experiment (Please ensure
that references are included)

Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a broad general statement of causality for a biological pattern or observation. It is a
tentative generalisation or a suggested reason for something you have observed. A hypothesis can be
tested to see if it can be accepted. When developing your hypothesis, look at the background knowledge
that you already have. If you develop a hypothesis that cannot be tested or it contains more than one
variable, that hypothesis is useless. The hypothesis is usually non-directional and usually states a general
“effect” and not that something “increases” or “decreases,” for e.g., x affects y.

Examples of unacceptable hypothesis Examples of acceptable hypothesis

If a plant receives fertiliser, then it will grow to be
bigger than a plant that does not receive fertiliser.
If the farmer burns the prairie, then the next year
will produce taller plants in his field than the
previous year.
If the concentration of substance x increases, then
the number of bacteria decreases
Marsh grass growth is limited by available
nitrogen.
The fire is replenishing the nutrients in the soil.
The concentration of substance x affects the
growth of bacteria

The unacceptable hypotheses above are predictions that can be made from the acceptable hypotheses.

Aim
A simple statement indicating what you want to find out; it is based on your hypothesis.

Materials/Apparatus
List all the materials and apparatus that are required to conduct the experiment. You do not need to
include the volume of the solutions, but you should indicate the concentration of the solutions.

Variables
Controlled: list the variables that will be kept constant throughout the investigation
Manipulated: insert the variable that is changed by the experimenter during the investigation
Responding: insert the variable that responds to the change that is made during the investigation

Method
This gives the precise details of the experimental procedure. The method in this section is written in the
present tense and in the sequence in which the tasks need to be completed. You must also indicate what
type of data you will be collecting. Anyone should be able to replicate your experiment without any
questions about your procedures and materials used! So, the steps must be clear.
Please note that your method must include a controlled experiment. This is different to the controlled
variable. Refer to the video at https://youtu.be/D3ZB2RTylR4

Results
Expected results
Insert the type of table that you will be using to collect the data in this section or describe the type of
results that you are expecting. No data will be in the table.
Treatment of results
You mention how you will use the data that will be collected to reach a conclusion. So, you may indicate
that a graph of the data would be inserted to identify any trends that will allow you to reach a conclusion.

Precautions and limitations/assumptions

Insert at least 2 points here. Any combination of precaution, limitation or assumption can be used.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU ARE NOT EXPECTED TO CARRY OUT THE PLANNING AND DESIGNING EXPERIMENTS.

Markscheme

Planning and designing Marks

Hypothesis /1
Aim /1
Materials and apparatus /1
Variables stated /3
-controlled (1)
-manipulated (1)
-responding (1)
Method /2
-clearly outlining how manipulated variable will be changed and
measured (1)
-clearly outlining how the responding variable will be measured (1)
Results /2
-expected results (1)
-treatment of results (1)
Precautions and limitations/assumptions /2
-two or more stated (2) or
-anyone stated (1)
TOTAL /12