BIOL 100 Writing Assignment: Scientific Method
Writing Assignment: Scientific Method
Before beginning this short writing exercise, please read the tutorial provided to you titled Experimental Design Basics and refer to the Grading Rubric for Writing Assignment.
In a brief essay style. document (one page is preferable) describe an example of how you could use the scientific method to create a small fictional or real experiment. State a good hypothesis, how you are testing the hypothesis (the experiment), the results of the experiment, your overall conclusion, and an analysis of your hypothesis. Describe the control and treatment groups in your experiment. What are the dependent and independent variables in your experiment? Name at least one controlled variable.
As an example, you may want to test a certain fertilizer to see if it will improve the growth of tomato plants in your backyard. You could have two planters with 6 plants each that will have the same soil, water, and exposure to sunlight. One planter will have added fertilizer, and the other will not. You will need to define your experimental and control groups along with the variables, etc. You can make up a data table and offer your analysis and conclusions based on that data. You can use subheadings such as “Groups”, “Variables”, “Data” and “Conclusions” to organize your write up.