Experiment:
EVERY EXPERIMENT MUST HAVE

Independent Variable - The part of the experiment YOU change

Dependent Variable - How you are measuring what happens to the IV

Control - What you are comparing the IV to to see the change

Constants - Parts of the experiment that will remain the same in each trial and between the IV and Control

Squidward loves playing his clarinet and believes it attracts more jellyfish than any other instrument he has played. In order to test his hypothesis, Squidward played a song on his clarinet for a total of 5 minutes and counted the number of jellyfish he saw in his front yard. He played the song a total of 3 times on his clarinet and repeated the experiment using a flute and a guitar. He also recorded the number of jellyfish he observed when he was not playing an instrument. The results are shown in the chart.

Trial No Music Clarinet Flute Guitar
1 5 15 5 12
2 3 10 8 18
3 2 12 9 7

What is the independent variable?
What is the dependent variable?
What is the control?
What are the constants / should be the constants?

Let's do another

Patrick and SpongeBob love to blow bubbles! Patrick found some Super Bubble Soap at Sail-Mart. The ads claim that super bubble soap will produce bubbles that are twice as big as bubbles made with regular bubble soap. Patrick and SpongeBob made up two samples of bubble solution. One sample as made with 5 oz. of Super Bubble Soap and 5 oz. water, the other solution was made with 5 oz. of regular bubble solution and 5 oz water. Patrick and SpongeBob used their favorite bubble wands to blow 10 different bubbles and did their best to measure the diameter of each one. The results are shown in the chart.

Bubble Super Bubbles Regular Soap
1 15 10
2 10 5
3 12 16
4 18 14
5 22 11
6 13 12
7 16 11
8 18 15
9 15 15
10 12 6

What is the Independent Variable?
What is the Dependent Variable?
What is the Control?
What are the Constants?


Every experiment must have a procedure.

The steps you will follow in the experiment.

For class this may be given to you in the form of steps or you may develop it before performing the experiment.
You then have to write the procedure down in your lab notebook as you complete it in lab. You will use the past tense as you write because you have just completed the step.

This is how you will be given a procedure:
1) Pour 200mL of water into a beaker.
2) Heat to 30 degrees C
3) Time how long it takes to cool to 15 degrees C
4) Repeat steps 1-3 two more times for a total number of 3 trials.

Rewrite this into the past tense as you would in your lab notebook
(Pretend you have just completed each step)

EX: 200mL of water was poured into a 500mL glass beaker and heated to 30 degrees C on a hotplate. Using a stopwatch, time was measured from the 30 degree point to the 15 degree C point and recorded. These steps were repeated two more times for a total of three trials.