Fundamentals of Experimental Design

What is measured during a controlled experiment?

Why?
Working in the science lab can be a lot of fun. Mixing random chemicals and burning stuff just to see
what happens can be entertaining (and possibly dangerous), but it doesn’t lead to anything helpful to the
scientific community. In order to be helpful to the community, a researcher’s work in the lab must be sys-
tematic. A researcher usually asks a question and then designs an experiment to investigate that question.
In this activity you will identify different types of variables that will help you design controlled experi-
ments.

Model 1 – Alka-Seltzer® and Vinegar

Before Mix After
Alka-Seltzer

100.0 mL 100.0 mL
vinegar solution
84 kPa 23.5 °C 84 kPa Changing °C 84 kPa 22.6 °C
Room Pressure Temperature Room Pressure Temperature Room Pressure Temperature

  1. Briefly describe the reaction illustrated in Model 1 in one or more complete sentences.

  2. Did the room pressure change as the reaction occurred? If yes, was there an increase or decrease?

  3. What two pieces of evidence observed during the “mix” phase of the reaction suggest that a
chemical change is taking place?

  4. Did the solution temperature increase or decrease during the reaction?

Fundamentals of Experimental Design 1

Model 2 – Results of Alka-Seltzer® Experiment
Number of Volume of Room
Initial Temp (°C) Final Temp. (°C)
Alka-Seltzer Vinegar Pressure
(Vinegar Solution) (Final Mixture)
Tablets (mL) (kPa)
Trial 1 1 100.0 84 23.5 22.6
Trial 2 2 100.0 84 23.5 21.5
Trial 3 3 100.0 84 23.5 20.4
Trial 4 4 100.0 84 23.5 19.2
Trial 5 5 100.0 84 23.5 18.1
  5. Which trial in the Model 2 data table corresponds to the reaction illustrated in Model 1?

  6. Consider the five trials that produced the data in Model 2.

a. What variable was purposefully changed in the experiment?

b. What variable changed as a result of changing the variable listed in part a?

  7. What variable(s) shown in the Model 2 data table remained constant among all the trials?

Model 3 – Boiling Points of Alcohols

Alcohol Number of Volume of Boiling Point Room
Formula
Name Carbons Alcohol (mL) (°C) Pressure (kPa)
Methanol CH3OH 1 75 64.7 101
Ethanol CH3CH2OH 2 75 78.4 101
Propanol CH3CH2CH2OH 3 75 97.1 101
Butanol CH3CH2CH2CH2OH 4 75 117.7 101
Pentanol CH3CH2CH2CH2CH2OH 5 75 137.9 101
  8. Describe the similarities and differences in the five alcohols used in the Model 3 experiment.

  9. Consider the experiment that produced the data in Model 3.

a. What variable was purposefully changed in the experiment?

b. What variable changed as a result of changing the variable listed in part a?

10. What variable(s) in the Model 3 data table remained constant among all the trials?

2 POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry

Read This!
When designing an experiment, you need to consider three types of variables. The independent variable
is changed by the experimenter by design. This variable is sometimes called the “manipulated variable.”
The dependent variable is what changes as a result of the change in the independent variable. This
variable is sometimes called the “responding variable.” In some cases more than one dependent variable
is considered. The third category involves controlled variables. These are variables that you think might
change the outcome of the experiment, but since you are not studying them, you need to keep them
constant in each trial.

11. Identify the independent, dependent, and controlled variables for the experiments that produced
the data shown in Model 2 and Model 3.

Variables
Model Experiment
Independent Dependent Controlled

Alka-Seltzer® and Vinegar

Boiling Points of Alcohols

Read This!
A well-written research question states the independent and dependent variables for an experiment. For
example, a student investigated the effect of the deicer, magnesium chloride, on vegetation on the sides of
highways. Her research question was, “What is the effect of magnesium chloride solution concentration
on the growth of rye grass?”

12. Write a research question, using the format suggested in the Read This! box, for the experiments
in Models 2 and 3.
Alka-Seltzer® and Vinegar —

Boiling Points of Alcohols —

13. A student wonders, “Will changing the volume of alcohol in a boiling point experiment
change the boiling point of the liquid?” Identify the variables that should be considered in this
experiment.
Independent Dependent Controlled

Fundamentals of Experimental Design 3

Extension Questions
14. Many experiments designed to investigate the reaction of Mentos® with Diet Coke® have been
documented on YouTube. Design and write an experiment that uses the knowledge gained in
this activity to investigate this reaction. Include a research question; the independent, dependent
and controlled variables; and a simple procedure.

15. Scientists may design an experiment with a control group, which is a set of organisms or sam-
ples that do NOT receive the treatment (the independent variable) that is being tested. Scientists
can then compare normal changes in organisms or samples with those that might have occurred
because of the treatment. The idea of a “control group” is not the same as a “controlled variable.”
Suppose a scientist is doing an experiment to determine the effect of a cancer drug on mice with
lymphoma.
a. What are some of the variables the scientist should control in the experiment?

b. Describe the control group for this experiment.

4 POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry

 Organizing Data
How is data displayed to make it meaningful?

Why?
Scientists rely on data to describe nature and uncover relationships. The raw data—measurements taken
in the lab—are most useful when they are organized in a way that makes the relationships clear. In this
activity you will explore two common ways that scientists organize data to help in analysis.

Model 1 – Copper Samples

Group
Volume (cm3) Mass (g) Substance
Number
1  2.0  17.92 Copper
2  6.0  50.89 Copper
3 10.0  93.45 Copper
4  8.0  79.30 Copper   Room Temperature: 21.7 °C
5 14.0 125.44 Copper
6  4.0  39.80 Copper
7 12.0 103.85 Copper
  1. What substance were the students working with to obtain the data in Model 1?

  2. What variables did the students measure to produce the data in Model 1?

  3. Briefly describe an experiment that the class might have done on the day that the data in Model
1 was collected. Discuss your answer with your group members to be sure there is consensus.

  4. Consider the data in Model 1.

a. Which variable was the independent variable in the experiment, and why do you think it
was the independent variable?

b. Which variable was the dependent variable in the experiment, and why do you think it was
the dependent variable?

c. List two controlled variables in the experiment?

Organizing Data 1
   5. Consider the data in Model 1.
a. How is the data organized?

b. Is the table in Model 1 organized in a way that helps determine a relationship between the
independent and dependent variables in the experiment? Explain.

  6. Propose a better way to organize the data in Model 1, and transcribe the data into the table
below.
Group
Volume (cm3) Mass (g) Substance
Number

  7. The data table in Question 6 should allow you to state a relationship between the variables
involved in the class’s experiment. Complete the following statement:
As the volume of copper increases, the mass of copper ________________________________.

Read This!
When scientists design an experiment they are usually looking for a cause-and-effect relationship between
the independent variable and the dependent variable. Therefore, organizing the data by the independent
variable is the easiest way to reveal a relationship. When the data is not organized, the relationships are not
apparent.

2 POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry

Model 2 – Graphs for Copper Data
Graph A Graph B
Copper Samples Copper Samples
140 140
120 120
100 100

Mass (g)
Mass (g)

80 80
60 60
40 40
20 20
0 0
0 2 4 6 8 2 6 10 8 14 4 12
Group Number Volume (cm3)

Graph C
Copper Samples
140

120

100

80
Mass (g)

60

40

20

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
Volume (cm3)

  8. Identify each of the graphs in Model 2 as a bar graph or a scatter plot.

  9. One of the data points in graph B indicates that a volume of 8 cm3 has a mass of 80 g. Which
other graph in Model 2 shows this same data?

10. Of the three graphs in Model 2, which illustrates the relationship between the variables that you
stated in Question 7 most clearly?

Read This!
Scientists use graphs to clearly illustrate whether or not there is a relationship between variables. In most
cases a scatter plot is used. Bar graphs are sometimes used if the independent variable is limited to specific
numeric values (where the values in-between are not possible) or is non-numeric. A special type of bar
graph called a histogram is used in cases where the scientist wants to show how often something happens.

Organizing Data 3
Model 3 – More Examples of Graphs
Graph D Graph E
Chocolate Candy Colors Leg Length vs. Sprint Time
16.0 19
14.0 18
Average Number of

12.0 17
Candies in Bag

Sprint Time (sec)

10.0 16
15
8.0
14
6.0 13
4.0 12
2.0 11
0.0 10
blue brown green orange red yellow 70 80 90 100
Leg Length (cm)

11. Identify the independent variable and dependent variable for each of the graphs in Model 3.

Graph D Graph E

Independent Variable

Dependent Variable

12. Match the experimental questions below to the appropriate graph from Model 3.
a. “Is the number of candies in a bag of chocolates dependent on the color of the candy?”
Graph _____
b. “Does the length of a person’s leg affect the time it takes them to sprint 60 yards?”
Graph _____
13. Why was the data for Graph D plotted in a bar graph?

14. Using the graphs in Model 2 and Model 3 as examples of proper graphs, identify the axis (x or y)
where you would usually plot the independent variable.

4 POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry

 15. For each of the following experiments, choose “scatter plot” or “bar graph” as the most appropri-
ate way to display the data. Justify your answer.
a. Students heated oil on a hot plate at the #4 setting for different amounts of time. They
wanted to answer the question “How long do you need to heat an oil bath to reach a given
temperature?”
Volume Oil Hot Plate Initial Temp. Time Heated Final Temp.
(mL) Setting of Oil (°C) (min) of Oil (°C)
250 #4 21 0 21
250 #4 21 5 30
250 #4 21 10 38
250 #4 21 15 47
250 #4 21 20 57

b. Students measured the height of each student in class. They wanted to answer the question
“What is the most common height among 10th grade students?”
Height Range Number of Students
under 4ʹ 0ʺ 1
4ʹ 1ʺ to 4ʹ 6ʺ 3
4ʹ 7ʺ to 5ʹ 0ʺ 5
5ʹ 1ʺ to 5ʹ 6ʺ 9
5ʹ 7ʺ to 6ʹ 0ʺ 3
over 6ʹ 0ʺ 1
c. The Fish and Wildlife agency measured the size of Pacific salmon for 1 year and recorded the
average weight for each species.
Salmon Species Average Weight (lbs)
King 15
Sockeye  8
Silver 12
Chum 15
Humpback  5
d. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration measured the pressure of the atmo-
sphere at various altitudes.
Altitude Atmos. Altitude Atmos.
(m) Pressure (atm) (m) Pressure (atm)
0 1.000 16,132 0.100
2750 0.750 30,901 0.010
5486 0.500 48,467 0.001
8376 0.333

Organizing Data 5
 16. Choose one of the data sets in Question 15 that you selected as appropriate for a scatter plot and
graph it here. Remember to label the axes.

17. Choose one of the data sets in Question 15 that you selected as appropriate for a bar graph and
graph it here. Remember to label the axes.

6 POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry

 18. Send one representative of your group to another table to share the two graphs constructed in
Questions 16 and 17. Does the other group agree that your graphs are properly constructed? If
not, what adjustments do you think need to be made?

Organizing Data 7
Extension Questions
Model 4 – SAT Scores
Graph F Graph G

Average SAT of Incoming Freshmen Average SAT of Incoming Freshmen

2500 2400
2300
2000
2200
2100

SAT Score
SAT Score

1500
2000
1000 1900
1800
500
1700
0 1600
A B C D A B C D
College College

19. Describe the independent and dependent variables for the data that is displayed in Graphs F and
G in Model 4.

20. When you look at Graph F, what message is communicated by the relative lengths of the bars to
prospective students about College D’s average SAT scores compared to the other three schools?

21. When you look at Graph G, what message is communicated by the relative lengths of the bars to
prospective students about College D’s average SAT scores compared to the other three schools?

22. For each of the graphs in Model 4, estimate the average score for each college represented by the
height of the bar. Is the data being displayed in the two graphs the same or different? Support
your answer with evidence from the graph.

23. A student takes a quick look at Graph G and says “Based on the size of these bars, it looks to me
as though College D had entering freshman with SAT scores nearly four times higher than Col-
lege A.” Explain to this student what mistake he has made in processing the information present-
ed in Graph G.

8 POGIL™ Activities for High School Chemistry