Y7 Chemistry (Introduction)
1. The Scenario: You notice that the sugar in your hot tea dissolves much faster
than the sugar in your iced tea.
1) Ask a Question: Write a question that can be tested in this scenario.
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2) Formulate a Hypothesis: Use the "If... then... because..." format.
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3) Identify Variables:
Independent Variable _____________________________________________
Dependent Variable ______________________________________________
Control ________________________________________________________
2. Here is a "bad" experimental plan. Critique it and help me correct it.
The Bad Plan: "I want to see if plants grow better with juice or water. I put one
plant in a dark cupboard and gave it apple juice. I put another plant on the sunny
windowsill and gave it water. I will check them in a month to see which is taller.”
1) Identify three mistakes in this investigation.
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2) Explain why this is not a fair test.
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3) Rewrite the plan to make it scientifically sound.
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Assignment 5: The "Super Stirrer" Investigation
Focus: Identifying Variables and Drawing Conclusions.
The Scenario: You are making a chocolate drink. You want to know if stirring
the milk makes the chocolate powder dissolve faster.
The Task:
1. The Prediction: Do you think stirring faster will make the powder disappear
quicker or slower? Write down your guess.
2. The Variables: Match the variable to its role in this experiment:
o Independent Variable (What I change)
o Dependent Variable (What I measure)
o Control Variables (What I keep the same)
Choose from: Time taken to dissolve, Temperature of milk, Speed of stirring,
Amount of powder.
3. The Fair Test: Why would it be a "bad" experiment if you used hot milk for the
stirred cup and cold milk for the unstirred cup?
4. Results: If it took 10 seconds to dissolve while stirring and 60 seconds without
stirring, what is your conclusion?
Answer Key for Teachers
1. The Prediction
Answer: Stirring faster will make the powder dissolve quicker (less time).
2. The Variables
Independent Variable: Speed of stirring.
Dependent Variable: Time taken to dissolve (seconds).
Control Variables: Temperature of milk, amount of powder, volume of milk.
3. The Fair Test
Answer: If you change both the temperature and the stirring, you won't know
which one actually made the powder dissolve faster. To be a fair test, you must
only change one thing (the stirring).
4. Conclusion
Answer: Stirring increases the rate of dissolving. (Or: The faster you stir, the less
time it takes for the powder to dissolve).