Designing

e t h od
An n t ific M
Sc i e
Experiment:
Product
Testing

Paper Towel Experiment

What’s included . . .
• 2 Versions of the Student Handout
Student Designed Experiment
Guided Experiment
• Materials List
•
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 Scientific Method:
Designing an Experiment
Product Testing Series: Paper Towels

A Note from Teresa . . .

Thank you for downloading the first in our series of Scientific Method: Designing an
Experiment Product Testing: Paper Towels.

To help meet the needs of your students we provided 2 versions of the students
handout:
• Version 1 Student’s Design, Conduct, Collect Data, Make a Graph and Analyze
the Experiment
• Version 2 Student’s Conduct, Collect Data, Male a Graph and Analyze the
Experiment.
Materials Needed for Version 2 of the Student Handout
Per Group:
1 beaker
2 sheets of 3 different brands of paper towels
water
container
graduated cylinder
stopwatch, timer or cell phone with timer

If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at

headway.tpt@gmail.com

©Headway Lab, LLC 2017 All rights reserved

 ut
Student Hando
Version 1
D esi gn the E xperiment
Students
 Scientific Method:
Designing an Experiment
Product Testing Series: Paper Towels
Name _____________________________________________ Date ______________ Period _____

Key Terms
Hypothesis – a testable statement that answers a question about the way things work. (If…
then…statement)

Constant – anything that the experimenter keeps the same through the course of an
experiment.

Control – the thing that the experimenter compares his or her results to.

Independent Variable – the variable that the experimenter changes during the experiment.

Dependent Variable – the variable that changes as a result of the independent variable.

Objective: To design, conduct and analyze results from an experiment.

Many companies claim that their products are the best. Store shelves are crowded with
different brands of the same product. A fair test (or experiment) can be used to
determine which brand really is the best.

The Challenge: To design an experimental investigation (a fair test) to test a property of

different brands of paper towels product.

Big Question: Which brand of paper towels is the best?

Brands that will be tested:

1. ____________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________
Optional
4. ____________________________________________
5. ____________________________________________

Research:

Research is the gathering of information. It can be done by searching the internet or

examining the products to determine which property to test. Consider researching
about the different properties of paper towels such as, absorbency, pricing, scrubbing
ability, layers, strength, texture, weight, water filtering ability or thickness.

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

1.
 Research (Record information about paper towels)
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Select a property to test: ______________________________

Hypothesis (If… then… statement that shows the relationship between variables):
First part of hypothesis describes what you will do in detail:
IF____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Second part of the hypothesis describes what you think will happen (a prediction)
THEN________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Experimental Design (If needed, refer to key terms on page 1):

What is your independent variable (the property being tested)?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

What will you observe and measure (dependent variables)? How will you measure?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

2.
 How many times will you conduct this experiment (trials)? _____________________________
Experimental Procedure (write out the step by step process you will follow for your
experiment):
1. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
8. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
9. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
10. __________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
What are your constants? ____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Materials (read through your procedure and list the materials you need):
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.
3.
 Conduct the Experiment and Collect Data (create a data table to record your data):

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

4.
 Graph your data:

Title of Graph ______________________________

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

6.
 Analyze your data (What does your data say about the paper towels? Be sure to cite
specific evidence to support your claim):
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Optional comparison (Write down information from other groups. If you’re not doing this
section, then go on to the last question):
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion (Is your hypothesis accurate? What evidence do you have to support this?
Important note: Scientists make inaccurate hypotheses all the time. This is the nature of
science so if your hypothesis is not correct – it is okay!)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.
7.
 Version 2 ut
Hando
Student ent
Experim
Guided
 Scientific Method:
Designing an Experiment
Product Testing Series: Paper Towels
Name _____________________________________________ Date ______________ Period _____

Key Terms
Hypothesis – a testable statement that answers a question about the way things work. (If…
then…statement)

Constant – anything that the experimenter keeps the same through the course of an
experiment.

Control – the thing that the experimenter compares his or her results to.

Independent Variable – the variable that the experimenter changes during the experiment.

Dependent Variable – the variable that changes as a result of the independent variable.

Objective: To design, conduct and analyze results from an experiment.

Many companies claim that their products are the best. Store shelves are crowded with
different brands of the same product. A fair test (or experiment) can be used to
determine which brand really is the best.

The Challenge: To conduct an experimental investigation (a fair test) to test a property

of different brands of paper towels product.

Big Question:
Which brand of paper towels is the best?

Brands that will be tested:

1. ___________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________

Research:
Research is the gathering of information. It can be done by searching the internet or
examining the products to determine which property to test. Consider researching
about the different properties of paper towels such as, absorbency, pricing, scrubbing
ability, layers, strength, texture, weight, water filtering ability or thickness.

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

1.
 Research (Record information about paper towels)
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
The property being tested in this experiment is absorbency.

Hypothesis (If… then… statement that shows the relationship between variables):
Complete the hypothesis below. The first part is written for you.

(First part of hypothesis describes what you will do in detail)

IF, a paper towel is placed into 200 ml of water for 1 minute, removed and the
remaining amount of water is measured
(Second part of the hypothesis describes what you think will happen)
THEN________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Materials:
1 beaker
2 sheets of 3 different brands of paper towels
water
container
graduated cylinder
stopwatch, timer or cell phone with timer

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

2.
 Experimental Procedure:

1. Fill a beaker up with 200 ml of water.

2. Take a sheet of paper towel. (Note: Use the same size
sheet of paper towel. You may need to cut them so they
are all the same size).
3. Fold and insert the paper towel into the beaker with the
water. Remember to fold each paper towel the same way.
4. Keep the paper towel in the beaker for 1 minute.
5. Remove the paper towel and put in a container.
6. Pour the remaining water in beaker into a graduated
cylinder and record the volume in the data table.
7. Repeat the above steps for each brand of paper towel twice.
8. Record data in the table.

Paper Beaker Trial 1 Water Trial 2 Water

Towel with Volume of Absorbed Volume of Absorbed
Brand water Water (subtract Water (subtract
column 3 from column 3 from
Remaining column 2)
Remaining column 2)
in Beaker in Beaker

200 ml

200 ml

200 ml

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

3.
 Graph your data:

Title of Graph ______________________________

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

4.
 Analyze your data (What does your data say about the paper towels? Be sure to cite
specific evidence.):
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

What is the independent variable?

_____________________________________________________________________________________

What was dependent variable?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
What are the constants in this experiment?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion (Is your hypothesis accurate? What evidence do you have to support this?
Important note: Scientists make inaccurate hypotheses all the time. This is the nature of
science so if your hypothesis is not correct – it is okay!)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Copyright (c) 2017 Headway Lab. All rights reserved.

5.