INTRODUCTION TO SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

LESSON

6.5 TESTING
30 Minutes
HYPOTHESIS
Time Allotted: 1 min Actual Time: __________

At the end of this module, you should be able to design activities and experiments to test a
hypothesis.

Time Allotted: 1 min Actual Time: __________

Now that you have a clear question in mind, identified all the variables, and formulated your
hypothesis, the next thing you need to do is to plan on how to test your hypothesis.

How are you going to test your hypothesis?

What are the things that you need to consider in designing your experiment?
Have you tried conducting your own experiment in the past?

Your experimental design depends on how creative you are in planning your investigations. But it
does not mean that your experiment must be complicated. Remember, the simpler the better. Simple
designs will more likely yield usable data.

Time Allotted: 15 min Actual Time: __________

Conducting a fair test is one of the best practices of conducting a scientific investigation. A fair test
is an experimental design which controls all factors except for one – the independent or manipulated
variable. This means that all the variables are the same for all setups except for the independent
variable.

In designing an experiment, you should identify first your experimental setups. Usually, an
experiment is based on the comparison between the control setup and the experimental setup.

Control setup vs. Experimental setup

a) These two setups are identical except for one factor.
b) The control setup serves as the comparison. It is the same as the experimental setup, except that
the one variable (the IV) that is being tested is removed or set to a standard.
c) The experimental setup shows the effect of the variable that is being tested.

Learning Guide 6.5 page 1 of 6

For example, Figure 1 is an
experiment that wants to determine if
red light affects the growth of a plant.

Which do you think is the control

setup and experimental setup?

The control setup is the one on the left

which receives the usual color of light
while the group on the right is the
experimental setup which has the red
light. As you can see, the rest of the
variables are the same like the amount
of water, type and amount of soil, Figure 1: Example of a control and experimental group. Image
from: https://images.app.goo.gl/HURFe3TgVeTdx9Aa6
temperature, duration of the
experiment, and the type of plant
(though not explicitly illustrated in the picture).

Your experiment is not limited to two setups only, one for each type. Have as many experimental set-
ups, at least 3, so as to really show the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable.

For example:

Ms. Lycopene loves to eat tomatoes. She wants to plant tomatoes in her garden and is trying to figure
out what brand of fertilizer can make tomato plants produce a lot of fruits.

Problem: What brand of fertilizer will make the tomato

plant produce more fruits?

Independent variable: brand of fertilizer (X, Y, and Z)

Dependent Variable: number of tomatoes

Hypothesis: If I use brand Z, then the plant will produce more tomatoes.

Controls: amount of fertilizer, amount of water given to the plants, amount and type of soil, location,
size of the pot, type of tomato (species), exposure to sunlight, ventilation, length of the experiment

Design: Ms. Lycopene will prepare four tomato plants, labeled as Plant C, Plant X, Plant Y, and Plant
Z (the naming or labeling is arbitrary, it depends on you). Plant C is the control setup, hence, will not
receive any fertilizer. Plant X, Y, Z will receive fertilizers D, E, F, respectively. For one month, she
will record the number of tomatoes produced by each plant. The table below gives you a visual
representation of this.
EXPERIMENTAL GROUP CONTROL
GROUP
Plant X Y Z C
Brand of Fertilizer D E F No Fertilizer

Learning Guide 6.5 page 2 of 6

 What should you do just in case something might happen to
any of your setups?

Well in this case, you prepare duplicates or trials for each setup. When investigating plants, see to it
that you prepare extra set-ups just in case some plants wither/die during the experiment.

Going back to Ms. Lycopene’s experiment, she can prepare several plants for each setup like in the
illustration below. She can then get the average number of fruits produced from each group.

Figure 2: The
control groups and
the experimental
groups. Image from:
https://images.app.g
oo.gl/24S3i3d8rQm
Tbv468

Another reason for having repeated trials is for you to verify the result of each trial. This will make
your results more reliable. Generally, you can have as many trials or repeated experiments as it is
convenient and practical to do so.

The next question is, what if we are to vary the “values” of our IV?

The process is still the same, only that you already have your levels of independent variables. For
example, if temperature were the independent variable in an experiment, then 20ºC, 40ºC, 60ºC, and
80ºC might be the different levels. Usually one of the levels of the independent variable is the
reference point or “normal” value of the variable, and the other levels will be compared with this
reference to draw conclusions from the experiment. This reference point or value is your control
setup.

The manner of organizing and presenting your data should also be a part of your experimental design
but this will be discussed in the next learning guide.

Not all scientific investigations are experimental. This means that the use of variables and controls
are not necessary. Such investigations merely require observing, monitoring, gathering data, and
recording behavior and trends.

Learning Guide 6.5 page 3 of 6

 Time Allotted: 12 min Actual Time: __________

FORMATIVE GRADED ASSESSMENT

Determine the problem, IV and DV, hypothesis, and the control and experimental groups in each
investigation. Follow your teacher’s instructions on submission.

Scoring:
Question – 1 pt
IV/MV – 1 pt
DV/RV – 1 pt
Hypothesis – 1 pt
Control setup – 1 pt
Experimental Setup – 1 pt
A. Mr. Krabbs wants to make his restaurant a nicer place. He has created a new sauce that he thinks
will reduce the production of body gas associated with eating crabby patties from the Krusty
Krab. He recruits 100 customers with a history of gas problems. He has 50 of them (Group A)
eat crabby patties with the new sauce. The other 50 (Group B) eat crabby patties with sauce that
looks just like new sauce but is really just mixture of mayonnaise and food coloring. Both groups
were told that they were getting the sauce that would reduce gas production. Two hours after
eating the crabby patties, he surveyed who among the customers in each group experienced a
gas problem.
Question: ________________________________________________________
IV/MV: ___________________________________________________________
DV/RV: ___________________________________________________________
Hypothesis: ________________________________________________________
Control setup: ______________________________________________________
Experimental Setup: _________________________________________________

B. Patrick believes that fish that eat food exposed to microwaves will become smarter and would
be able to swim through a maze faster. He decides to perform an experiment by placing fish
food in a microwave for 20 seconds. He has the fish swim through a maze and records the
time it takes for each one to make it to the end. He feeds the special food to 10 fish and gives
regular food to 10 others. After 1 week, he has the fish swim through the maze again and
records the times for each.

Question: ________________________________________________________
IV/MV: ___________________________________________________________
DV/RV: ___________________________________________________________
Hypothesis: ________________________________________________________
Control setup: ______________________________________________________
Experimental Setup: _________________________________________________

Learning Guide 6.5 page 4 of 6

 Time Allotted: 1 min Actual Time: __________
In Summary
In designing an experiment, the control setup and experimental setup must be determined. Both
setups are identical except for one factor. The control setup serves as the reference for comparison
because the independent variable is not applied on it or it has the normal level of independent variable.
Conducting the experiment in several trials verifies the results which makes the data more reliable.

EXTRA PRACTICE EXERCISE (OPTIONAL)

The activity below is optional, but your teacher may ask you to answer this to further develop your
skills in designing an experiment.

Carefully read each scenario. From the given scenario, write a scientific question, identify the IV
and DV, construct a hypothesis and briefly discuss your experimental design.

1. You are a doctor working at the World Health Organization (WHO). You want to test a new
vaccine against COVID-19. You have a good feeling that this vaccine will work. You have 100
volunteer patients on which to test the vaccine.

Question: ___________________________________________________________
IV/MV: ______________________________________________________________
DV/RV: ______________________________________________________________
Hypothesis: ___________________________________________________________
Experimental Design: ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. You want to test the effect the amount of light has on growing Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)
plants specifically on the color of its leaves.

Figure 3: Pothos plants has different varieties. They

can thrive indoors and can purify the air from
formaldehyde, benzene and carbon monoxide while
also helping eliminate odors

Question: ___________________________________________________________
IV/MV: ______________________________________________________________
DV/RV: ______________________________________________________________
Hypothesis: ___________________________________________________________
Experimental Design: ___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

Learning Guide 6.5 page 5 of 6

 Funk, J.H. (1985). Learning Science Process Skills. Pennsylvania State University: Kendall/Hunt
Publishing House

The Science Spot. (August 28, 2020). Scientific Method: Controls and Variables Part 1. Retrieved
from: https://sciencespot.net/Media/scimethodconvar.pdf

Tillery B.W, Enger E. D., & Ross F. C.. (2015). Integrated Science. New York: McGraw Hill

Prepared by Reviewed by Approved by

MARVICE JOYCE V. ONG CARIDAD G. GICARAYA ALICE C. MANUEL

Special Science Teacher II Special Science Teacher III Special Science Teacher IV
Main Campus Main Campus Cagayan Valley Campus

Learning Guide 6.5 page 6 of 6

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