You're the Scientist: Designing an Experiment
An Intro to the Scientific Method
In
the equinox egg balancing experiment, students are asked to test the
hypothesis that there is some special force which allows raw eggs to
stand up on end only
on the equinox. They
have also been instructed to conduct the egg balancing test "before,
during and after the equinox."
To help students understand the scientific method behind testing multiple times -- before, during and after the equinox -- try these exercises:
1) Review the Planning Science Investigations lessons to become familiar with how scientists plan scientific investigations>>
2) Then, have students read the note we received from a teacher below, and challenge them to try to settle the disagreement about how many times it's necessary to conduct the egg balancing test.
As
part of this exercise, have students break into groups. Guide them through
the investigation planning process discussed in Planning Science
Investigations above, e.g., what are you trying to find out?
What kind of data will you collect? What variables/factors need to be
considered?
For the egg balance experiment in specific, discuss what they would or would not learn by testing only on the equinox, and ask whether this fully answers what they are trying to find out. Then have them consider what they would or would not learn by testing at other times in addition to the equinox itself, and whether additional testing does or does not answer what they are trying to find out.
Have the students write their conclusions in their journal, and decide which teacher's test approach is better and why.
|
"Hi,
can you help?
I am a teacher and I have a colleague at school who firmly believes that an egg can be balanced on its end only at the equinox. She will go out on the equinox and try to balance an egg on its end. I have suggested that she needs to try this just as hard at other times of the year too. She believes that it can only happen at the equinox. I know of no reason why this should be so. Has anyone there heard of this myth, or is it me that is 'mythstaken'? "
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National Science Education Standards
Understandings About Science Inquiry
Science investigations involve asking and answering a question and comparing that to what scientists already know about the world. (K-4)
Scientists use different kinds of investigations depending on the questions they are trying to answer. Types of investigations include describing objects, events, and organisms; classifying them; and doing a fair test (experimenting). (K-4)
Different kinds of questions suggest different kinds of scientific investigations. Some involve observing and describing objects, organisms, or events; some involve collecting specimens; some involve experiments; some involve seeking more information; some involve discovery of new objects and phenomena; and some involve making models. (5-8)
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