SCIENTIFIC METHOD - CONTROLS

AND VARIABLES

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VIDEO: EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

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 SCIENTIFIC EXPERIMENTS
MUST FOLLOW RULES.

• An experimenter
changes one factor and
observes or measures
what happens.

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VOCABULARY:
• Independent Variable:
WHAT YOU CHANGE

• Dependent Variable:
WHAT HAPPENS BECAUSE OF THAT CHANGE

• Control
NOT BEING TESTED, USED FOR COMPARISON

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 VARIABLES
•Independent Variable – something that is changed by the
scientist
•What is tested
•What is manipulated
•Dependent Variable – something that might be affected by
the change in the independent variable
•What is observed
•What is measured
•The data collected during the investigation
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 THE CONTROL

•The experimenter makes a special effort to

keep other factors constant so that they
will not affect the outcome.

• Those factors are called control variables.

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WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A
CONTROL?

•Controls are NOT being tested

•Controls are used for
COMPARISON

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EXAMPLE EXPERIMENT VIDEO

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GOOD ENGINEERING TRIALS

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 ONE MORE THING… IT IS
BEST TO MAKE SEVERAL
TRIALS WITH EACH
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.
 EXAMPLE OF CONTROLS
& VARIABLES
• For example, suppose you want to figure out
the fastest route to walk home from school.
You will try several different routes and time
how long it takes you to get home by each one.
• Since you are only interested in finding a route
that is fastest for you, you will do the walking
yourself.
WHAT ARE THE VARIABLES IN
YOUR EXPERIMENT?

• Varying the route is the independent

variable
• The time it takes is the dependent variable
• Keeping the same walker throughout
makes the walker a control variable.
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Identify the independent and dependent
STUDENTS OF
variables in this investigation.
DIFFERENT AGES
WERE GIVEN THE
SAME JIGSAW
PUZZLE TO PUT
TOGETHER. THEY
WERE TIMED TO SEE
HOW LONG IT TOOK
TO FINISH THE
PUZZLE.
WHAT WAS THE
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE?

•Ages of the students

•Different ages were tested by
the scientist
HYPOTHESIS= IF THE
TEMPERATURE OF WATER
IS HIGHER, THEN AN EGG
WILL BOIL FASTER.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE:

• Temperature of the water

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DEPENDENT VARIABLE

• Time it takes to boil eggs.

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CONTROL

• Using the same pot, same stove, similar eggs (same

dozen? Same age?), same timer.

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IDENTIFY THE INDEPENDENT
AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES:

• What grade of middle

school students (6 , 7 , or
th th

8 ) can jump the highest?

th
IDENTIFY THE INDEPENDENT
AND DEPENDENT VARIABLES:

•Does fertilizer help

plants grow taller?
Identify the independent and dependent variables in
AN INVESTIGATION WAS DONE
this investigation.
WITH AN ELECTROMAGNETIC
SYSTEM MADE FROM A BATTERY
AND WIRE WRAPPED AROUND A
NAIL. DIFFERENT SIZES OF NAILS
WERE USED. THE NUMBER OF
PAPER CLIPS THE
ELECTROMAGNET COULD PICK UP
WAS MEASURED.
INDEPENDENT VARIABLE:

•Sizes of nails
•These were changed by the
scientist
DEPENDENT VARIABLE:

•Number of paper clips picked up

•The number of paper clips
observed and counted (measured)
IDENTIFYING VARIABLES AND
DESIGNING INVESTIGATIONS

Example No. 4
• Listening to music impairs your ability to study.
• What are the independent, dependent and control variables in
this experiment.
IDENTIFYING VARIABLES AND
DESIGNING INVESTIGATIONS
Example No. 4

• Independent variable = whether the student is listening to

music or not.
• Dependent variable = the students ability to recall information
leant while listening to music (e.g. score on a memory test).
• Control variables = the same type of music, the same
information to be learnt.
VIDEO: TED TALK - IDEAS LEAD
TO SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERIES