ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
In this assignment, you will be assessed based on the following Outcome: SC200-1:
– Explain basic scientific principles and their limitations.
– Use experimental inquiry to inform problem solving.
Each and every day, you are faced with having to make split-second decisions, and the need to solve random problems that you encounter. In this Assessment, you will explain how you would use the scientific method to solve the scenario:
Scenario:
You have agreed to take care of your friend’s dog; Buddy, while she goes on a trip to Antarctica. On your two-hour trip to take your friend to the airport you get so caught up talking about her upcoming adventure that you do not have any time to ask questions about her new dog (Buddy) who is riding in the backseat. After you drop your friend off, just in time to catch her flight, you drive the two hours back home and realize that your friend accidentally took the dog’s bag with her when she ran into the airport. You realize that you do not have access to your friend’s house and cannot contact her.
It is a new dog so there is no one else you can contact that knows its normal routine. You stop at the local pet store and ask the salesperson to help you pick out food and supplies to take care of Buddy for the next few weeks. They send you home with a bag of salmon and potato dry dog food, a few toys, and a dog bed. When you get home you put some of the dog food in a plastic bowl that you had been using to store oranges and lemons. You offer this to Buddy but he refuses to eat his dinner. This puts you in a little bit of a panic since your friend is on a long flight and will then be on a ship to Antarctica so contacting her will be difficult. You take a deep breath and decide that you can try to solve this problem on your own.
Instructions:
Assignment is for the writer to write a report that includes bullets and headings that I will TRANSFER over to a PowerPoint in bullets and notes to present audibly in a Zoom session to my class and professor for a Unit grade. BE SURE to cover everything exactly as stated in the checklist missing nothing. Report should be written in 4 pages. No wordiness and can use detailed bullets where necessary. Remember, short and concise and to the point for me to present to my class in a timed PowerPoint presentation.
NOTE for the presentation: Information on the slides should be brief and bulleted. In the notes section, you must include all talking points in the checklist assignment – exactly as you will present them to the Professor & class.
Checklist:
You will need to address the following questions using scholarly sources to support your work:
• What are the steps of the scientific method? List them out and provide a short description in your own words of what happens during each step.
• To collect your data, read through the scenario carefully and provide a list of everything that you know about the situation with Buddy.
• Create a testable hypothesis for why Buddy is not eating that is consistent with the data in the scenario: i.e., Buddy is not eating because I did not buy the type of dog food that he is used to. Indicate which pieces of evidence you used to develop your hypothesis.
• Outline how you would set up an experiment to test the following hypothesis:
Buddy is not eating because I did not buy the type of dog food that he is used to.
o Do some research on independent and dependent variables. Identify the independent and dependent variables in your experiment.
o List three things that you should keep constant (the same) during your experiment so that they don’t influence the outcome of your experiment.
o Identify what you would do if:
– The results of your experiment supported your hypothesis.
– The results of your experiment did not support your hypothesis.
• Explain what you would do in the following two situations:
o You know you can contact your friend at some point soon but only for a short time. What three testable questions would you want to ask her to help support or disprove the proposed hypothesis?
o Your neighbor comes over to help out with Buddy and poses the following hypothesis: Buddy won’t eat because he feels that his owner is unlucky when she travels and may get hurt. Is this a testable hypothesis? If so, please explain how you would test it. If not please explain why it is not testable in the context of the scientific method.
NOTE: Utilize a Minimum of THREE scholarly references that would be found in college library and on the internet as free sources. DO NOT USE any paid references or eBooks that require payment.
Grading RUBRIC:
MET
Scientific Method and development of a hypothesis
Competency
Provides the steps of the scientific method from a reputable source with explanations
Data collected from the scenario is presented clearly
Hypothesis included
Data from the scenario was used to develop the hypothesis
Mastery
Hypothesis is testable and clearly tied to the data provided in the scenario
Explanation of Experiment
Competency
Provides outline of experiment to test the provided hypothesis
Identifies the independent variables
Identifies the dependent variables
Indicates a minimum of three things to be held constant
Demonstrates through example the cyclic nature of the scientific method
Three testable questions provided
Terminology related to the scientific method is properly utilized throughout
Mastery
Steps of the scientific method are logically outlined and applied correctly
Variables and constants identified for experiment are reasonable
Discussion addresses outcome when hypothesis is both supported and not supported by experiment
Testable questions are posed in a manner that would allow effective testing of the hypothesis
Analysis of alternative hypothesis
Competency
Identifies the neighbor’s alternative hypothesis as testable or not testable
Neighbor’s alternative hypothesis is discussed.
Mastery
Explanation includes reasoning for the neighbor’s alternative hypothesis being testable or not testable
Total Competency Criteria:
Total Mastery Criteria:
You can reference the digital textbook if you like: