Experimental Design B/C

[kate!]

Write like your life depends on it 4head

Honestly that's how I survived doing this event last year, my partners never really did too much except fight with each other and do the actual experiment

Pro tip: pretend you always have 5 minutes left. (One time during practice we thought we had 5 minutes but we actually had 15 minutes. Since we were going faster when we thought we had less time it was way more efficient and we finished earlier and could clean up/check work.) Btw don't forget to clean up!!! That is the most important thing (and put it in the procedure too) so you don't get a lower score.

[Anomaly]

Write like your life depends on it 4head

Honestly that's how I survived doing this event last year, my partners never really did too much except fight with each other and do the actual experiment

Pro tip: pretend you always have 5 minutes left. (One time during practice we thought we had 5 minutes but we actually had 15 minutes. Since we were going faster when we thought we had less time it was way more efficient and we finished earlier and could clean up/check work.) Btw don't forget to clean up!!! That is the most important thing (and put it in the procedure too) so you don't get a lower score.

I actually do that with my middle schoolers. i tell them they have three minutes left when they still have 8 minutes left and now they’re always done a couple minutes early

[sciencekid27]

Please help

Here are some technical questions that I've gotten various responses to:
Also, I'm in Div B

1) Other than mean, median, range, and mode (even though mode is not important in this case), what else do you need for statistics? Do you need stuff like std dev?
2) For qualitative observations, what constitutes as an observation about the procedure/deviations. Is something like "The water was supposed to be dropped directly on top of the penny, but a deviation occurred, and the water was dropped in various different places" okay?
3) For the graph, do you need a line of best fit?
4) Also, regarding the graph, is a break line okay?
5) An outlier is defined as either (Q3 + 1.5 * IQR) or (Q1 - 1.5 * IQR). So in the analysis section, when describing and identifying any outliers, do you need to use the formulas and be exact? Or can you just be like this is a lot bigger than the rest so it is an outlier?

Thanks!

[dxu46]

Please help

Here are some technical questions that I've gotten various responses to:
Also, I'm in Div B

1) Other than mean, median, range, and mode (even though mode is not important in this case), what else do you need for statistics? Do you need stuff like std dev?
2) For qualitative observations, what constitutes as an observation about the procedure/deviations. Is something like "The water was supposed to be dropped directly on top of the penny, but a deviation occurred, and the water was dropped in various different places" okay?
3) For the graph, do you need a line of best fit?
4) Also, regarding the graph, is a break line okay?
5) An outlier is defined as either (Q3 + 1.5 * IQR) or (Q1 - 1.5 * IQR). So in the analysis section, when describing and identifying any outliers, do you need to use the formulas and be exact? Or can you just be like this is a lot bigger than the rest so it is an outlier?

Thanks!

1. I'd include standard deviation. It's relatively easy to calculate and you can use it in your analysis.
2. I think so, just make sure to not confuse it with errors. Taking that statement from above, I'd take out the error and make it "The water was dropped in various different places on the penny."
3. I always do - it doesn't take much effort and it looks nice to the ES.
4. Definitely. You need to have an appropriate scale (per the rules) so a break line definitely helps.
5. I never use the formulas. It's too wordy and focuses on more facts. If a data point looks really off, just say it's an outlier, even if the formula doesn't say so.

[sciencekid27]

Thanks!

[LiteralRhinoceros]

I'm wondering if the following situation is worth submitting a FAQ
Imagine the following situation.
This experiment told the participants to put paper clips on a boat, floating in a tub of water, and to measure how changing some variable about the boat would change the mass it could hold. In the materials section, say the group used 87 paper clips, would they write 87, or over estimate, given that the purpose of an experimental design write-up is for someone to recreate the experiment, which means the exact conditions and results will not be reached. On the other hand, overestimating does not describe the specific experiment that the group conducted. The group could write 100 paper clips as an estimate for how much would be needed to recreate the experiment
So from these circumstances, what would be a proper course of action?

[satvik03]

I was wondering the same thing as rhino, because the situation can be viewed in two ways based on the rubric.

[LiteralRhinoceros]

hmmm, maybe because you were taking the test lmao

[fxp765]

Could someone explain what "Suggestions for other ways to look at hypothesis are given" in the applications section means?

[dxu46]

Could someone explain what "Suggestions for other ways to look at hypothesis are given" in the applications section means?

It basically means to change the IV levels of the hypothesis, like if they were (unspecifically) 1, 2, and 3, you could say 2,4, and 6 to make a trend more visible.