What’s the deal with the bead bracelets?

• Observations?• Did anyone do any testing?• What variables in testing could be changed to

make this an interesting experiment?• Can we learn anything important from this?

How to ask a good question

• Cause and effect (independent and dependent variable)

• Measureable effect– Qualitative (bad)• Which cleaner cleans glass best?• Moldy bread• Bacterial colonies from different surfaces

– Quantitative (good)• Measure distance, weight, time, length, etc

– Graphs, tables, charts • Including standard deviation error bars

What makes a good experiment?• Interesting, Important, Organized, Valid, Repeatable• Independent variable

– Cause• dependent variable

– Effect• Change only one variable at a time• Controls/constants• Number of trials• Grade appropriate• Doable

ASU handout with sci method, manipulative and observational experiments

http://scene.asu.edu/habitat/s_method.htmlThe Southwest Center for Education and the Natural Environment (SCENE)