Activities

1. Determine if the questions below can be answered by performing an experiment.
   
   
   1. Are there life forms in other solar systems?
   2. Will a bandage affect the healing time of a wound?
   3. Will the price of admission affect the attendance at a basketball game?
   4. Is everything in our universe composed of atoms?
   5. How does the temperature affect student test scores?

2. Write a hypothesis for each of the following questions:
   1. Does fertilizer affect plant growth?
   2. Which brand of dog food do golden retrievers prefer?
   3. Which household item carries the most bacteria?

3. Design an experiment that will determine if the temperature affects how often a cricket will chirp.
   
   
4. Your friend wants to know what caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.  Can you design an experiment that will answer this question?  Explain your thinking.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. This question cannot be answered using an experiment – We can only find life in other solar systems through exploration.
2. This question can be answered using an experiment.  – You need to test the hypothesis on similar wounds.  Place a bandage over one wound and leave the other wound uncovered.  Compare healing time.
3. This question can be answered using an experiment.  – Charge different admission prices into several different games.  Compare the attendance at each game.
4. This question cannot be answered using an experiment.  – As far as scientists know, all matter that has been discovered in our universe is composed of atoms.  Nothing has been discovered thus far that is not composed of atoms.  The only way to answer this question is through continued research and exploration.
5. This question can be answered using an experiment.  – Ask students to sit in a cold room while taking a test.  Ask the same students to sit in a hot room while taking the same or a similar test.  Ask students to sit in a room with a comfortable temperature while taking the same or a similar test.  Compare test scores.

2. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:

1. If I give my plant fertilizer, then it will grow better than a plant without fertilizer.
2. If I give my golden retriever three brands of dog food, then it will prefer to eat Brand A.
3. If I test several items in my home, then the bathroom doorknob will carry the most bacteria.

3. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   Procedure:

1. Obtain a cricket.
2. Place the cricket in a warm room for 20 minutes.
3. Record the number of times the cricket chirps in that time.
4. Place the same cricket in a cold room for 20 minutes.
5. Record the number of times the cricket chirps in that time.
6. Place the same cricket in a comfortable temperature room for 20 minutes.
7. Record the number of times the cricket chirps in that time.
8. Repeat the experiment with at least 2 other crickets to ensure accurate results.

4. No, you cannot create an experiment to determine what caused dinosaurs to become extinct.  Student should support their answer.  Answers may include, but are not limited to:
   • Scientists have theories about what caused the dinosaurs to become extinct.
   • Scientists do not have proof that these theories are true.
   • Dinosaurs are not alive today, so we cannot experiment on dinosaurs.
   • The only way we can gather information about dinosaurs is through research and speculation.
   • Speculations can become scientific opinion, but they cannot be proven.