Developing a Hypothesis and Title for your Experiment

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Developing a Hypothesis and Title for your
Experiment
Based on slides from Blueprints for Science
Summer Institute
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Scientific Method

• Formulate a question.
• Research the question.
• Form a hypothesis.
• Conduct an experiment to test your hypothesis.
• Analyze data.
• Draw Conclusions.
• Communicate results.

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The Hypothesis is the foundation of the
experiment!

• The development of a hypothesis is the first step
  in designing and conducting an experiment.
• The hypothesis should be clear, specific, and
  testable.

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The Hypothesis

• Is the prediction for the outcome of the
  experiment.
• States the relationship between the independent
  and dependent variable!Rememberyou are always
  testing to see if the Independent Variable has an
  effect on the Dependent Variable.

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The Hypothesis

• Is written in the following formatIf the
  (Independent Variable) is (describe change), then
  the (Dependent Variable) will (describe change).
• You must always use this Ifthen statement
  which stating your hypothesis because is states
  the relationship between the IV and the DV!

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Heres a scenario for you

• Mr. de la Pena tested to see if the amount of
  TV had an effect on how many times his baby woke
  up during the night!
• He let Boots watch 1 hr, 2 hrs, 3 hrs, and 4
  hrs. of TV.

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Heres a scenario for you

• IV TV time (1 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, 4 hr)
• DV How many times his baby woke up during the
  night
• HYPOTHESIS If the (amount of TV time) is
  (increased), then the (amount of times the baby
  wakes up during the night) will (increase).

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Heres a scenario for you

• HYPOTHESIS If the (amount of TV time) is
  (increased), then the (amount of times the baby
  wakes up during the night) will (increase).
• This hypothesis states the relationship between
  the amount of TV time (IV) and the of times the
  baby wakes up (DV).

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The Title of your Experiment

• Like your Hypothesis, the title of your
  experiment also has a specific format you must
  use.
• It also shows the relationship between the IV and
  the DV.

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The Title of your Experiment

• Is written in the following format
• The Effect of (Independent Variable) on the
  (Dependent Variable).
• Remember, in your experiment, you are looking to
  see if the IV has an effect on the DV.

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The Title of your Experiment

• Using the last example
• The Effect of (the Amount of TV Time) on the
  (Number of Times the Baby Wakes Up During the
  Night).
• Remember, in your experiment, you are looking to
  see if the IV has an effect on the DV.

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Effect vs Affect

• Effect and Affect are great words to use when
  writing Titles and Hypotheses.
• Whats the difference?

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Effect vs Affect

• Effect is a noun.
• It refers to the outcome of an experiment.
• It is ALWAYS used when writing Titles.
• Affect is a verb.
• It means to influence or act upon something.

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Ready for some practice?

• In your notebook, highlight the definitions of
  the key words- (IV,DV, Hypothesis, Effect)
• Get in a group of 4
• Get a mini whiteboard, marker, and eraser..

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SHOW ME YOUR ANSWER!

1. Each group must give each student in the group a
   specific number of 1-4.
2. I will put a scenario up on the screen.
3. Each group will discuss the scenario with each
   other and identify your variables.
4. I will then call out a student number and a
   question for you to answer. That student must
   write down the answer though the teammates can
   help.

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Think about the following scenarios

• Scenario 1
• Samantha set up an experiment to see if the
  amount of sleep affects the reading scores of 4th
  graders.

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Here we go!

• Scenario 2
• Donte has seen all those commercials that say
  Axe body spray attracts girls. He decided to
  test if the amount of body spray has an effect on
  how many girls approached him over the course of
  the school day.

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Here we go!

• Scenario 3
• Derek set up an experiment to determine if the
  weight of a soccer ball has an effect on the
  speed of his penalty kick. He measured his shot
  in mph.

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Here we go!

• Scenario 4
• Mrs. de la Pena-Nagle set up an experiment to see
  if the amount of time students spend on homework
  each night has an effect on their Science CST
  score.

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Here we go!

• Now get busy on your Hypothesis and Title!