PAPER AIRPLANE CONTEST

Intro to lab design and terms

SETUP We are going to have a contest. But how will we know which is best? Which would be the most difficult to

measure? Why? Which would be the least difficult to

measure? Why? Lets try it out! Make a paper airplane and write your

name on it

TIME TO MODIFY YOUR PLANE You can use scissors, paper clips, tape,

staples or any other material available. Make a guess as to what effect this

change will have on your plane. (What do you think will happen to the airplane with these changes….Hopefully fly further)

Lets go try it again and see if you are correct.

WHAT IS IT CALLED WHEN YOU MADE YOUR GUESS AS TO WHAT WOULD HAPPEN?

Hypothesis - an educated guess as to what will happen in an experiment.

If actual outcome is known, then it is really not a hypothesis.

DISCUSSION OF RESULTS Was it fair to only have one throw for

the winner? Why or Why not?

THIS IS CALLED REPEATED TRIALS Repeated trials - it reduces the effects of

error or chance on the overall results. How many times do you think would be

good to test in labs?

WHAT WAS THE ACTION THAT YOU DID TO YOUR PLANE? Refold? Add paper clips? Add tape? Anything else?

WHAT SPECIFICALLY DID YOU CHANGE? Wing shape Shorter body? Moved the center of gravity? Changed the weight of the plane? Anything else? Did you change more than one thing?

THIS IS CALLED THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE If you made more than one change,

which change affected it the most? DO YOU HAVE PROOF?

The independent variable - ONE PURPOSEFULL CHANGE that effects the desired outcome (or dependent variable)

WAS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE IN THE PLANES FLIGHT? Flight time Total distance Path it traveled Anything else?

THIS IS THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE A RESPONSE TO CHANGE (THIS IS WHAT CHANGED BECAUSE OF

INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.)

DID YOU KEEP ANYTHING THE SAME IN YOUR PLANE? Size of paper Texture of paper Weight of paper Color of paper Shape of wings Anything else

CONSTANT The things that remained the same.

WHAT ABOUT THE HALL’S AIR FLOW? How do you know if the thing you

changed (independent variable) was the thing that actually made it change?

You must fly one unmodified plane in each trial to see if its flight remained the same.

CONTROL A control is what every other trial is

compared against. The first plane we threw was the control

because we compared all the rest of the throws to it.

REVIEW Brainstorm ideas - develop a purpose for

the experiment What will you keep the same?

- constants What will you change?

- IV (Independent Variable) What do you think will change because

of it? - DV (Dependent Variable)

What will you use to compare the results?Control

REVIEW How do you know what happened in the

experiment was not a fluke?Repeated trials – good to have at least 3 but

5 is better. What do you think will happen?

Hypothesis – Please write in the form of If…IV, then…..DV