Lab #1: The Sphere Rolling Down the Ramp Into the Plastic Truncated Cone (2022/2023)

  Initial Predictions, Observations, Inferences:

Predictions
Observations
Inferences

Materials:

• ramp placemat with ruler in cm
• plastic cup with “door” cut out
• ruler (cm)
• A marble
• Wood block
• masking tape

Problem #1: How does the variable that I'm changing affect how far a cup will slide on a plastic placemat?

Data Table 1: Distance (cm) the marble ball pushes the plastic cup
Starting Height = __._cm	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3	Average
sphere = marble				__._cm

Procedure: (Written in numbered steps)

1. We set up our materials as instructed.
2. We released a sphere down a ramp
3.  The sphere rolled down the ramp and pushed the cup.
4.  The cup moves in the direction the sphere pushes it. 
5.   Record your observations and inferences. 

Variables:

Independent
Dependent
Constants

Data Table 2: Distance (cm) the marble ball pushes the plastic cup
Starting Height = __._cm	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3
sphere = marble				__._cm

Hypothesis: If I change this variable (Independent Variable),

then the cup will be affected in this way (Dependent Variable),

and I think this because.....

               If I change ______________________ then

the cup will ______________________________;

and this is my reasoning ______________________.

Data Table 3: Distance (cm) the marble ball pushes the plastic cup
Starting Height = __._cm	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3
sphere = marble				__._cm

Data Table 4: Distance (cm) the marble ball pushes the plastic cup
Starting Height = __._cm	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3
sphere = marble				__._cm

Observations, Inferences:

	Put your data/numbers into words
Observations	What are the numbers saying?
Inferences	Why?  What happened?  What does this mean?  Explain your observations!

Analysis:

1. Where did the cup travel the farthest?  What property about that variable causes the difference?

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2. Why was it important to test each drop three times? Why have three trials instead of just one? Why calculate an average?

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3. What is the importance of only changing ONE variable, while keeping the other variables CONSTANT?

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4. Predict what you think would happen if we performed the same experiment with sandpaper as your surface.

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5. a. Predict what would happen if we used an iron sphere to roll down the ramp.

    b. Predict what would happen if we used a foam sphere to roll down the ramp.

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6. Propose: What could you do to your experimental setup to increase the amount of energy that the cup moves?  i.e. How can we get the plastic cup to move even further?

____________________________________________________________________

7.  Construct a bar graph showing your results.  Use the following information to assist you with the graph: x-axis - YOUR Independent Variable, y-axis - distance the cup moved (cm), title - bar graph comparing how MY INDEPENDENT VARIABLE affects the distance a cup moves after being pushed by a golf ball released from the same height. 

C1: Introduction to Science videos

Instructions: Watch videos A. and B. below. :)  Label title and answer the following questions in your Science Notebooks.   Number each answer.  Do not write the questions; answer them in complete sentences. 

A. Defining a Problem: What do Scientists do?

1. What does a Scientist do when they have a problem to solve?

2. What does a scientist do after they "test it" ?

B. Inference and Observation

1. The speaker claims that "It is going to rain soon" is an inference; I disagree.  Why do I disagree and what do you think?  HINT: Look at your Do Now today.  

   

The Scientific Method Song

C. 

1. Watch the video, sing along to the song, then list the steps of the scientific method as sung in the video:  1. 

            2.  Ask a Question

            3. 

            4.  Do a Test or Experimentation

            5. 

Hint: I've done Steps 2. and 4. already, just fill in 1., 3., and 5.

Science Article #1 - Introduction to Science Articles, Current Events in Science

 

Science Articles  

Read a science based article.  Learn how Science is happening in our daily lives and how it relates to you. You can get your information from a newspaper, magazine or from the internet. 
It should be handwritten NEATLY or typed and shared with my pconsidine@schools.nyc.gov account.  

 Follow these simple steps to make an A!  
1) Summarize the article in 5-7 sentences (i.e. What is the article about?)
2) How does this affect us? (1 sentence min.)
3) Why is this important? (1 sentence min.)
4) How is this science related? (1 sentence min.)
5) Pick a science word and write its definition.  Use a dictionary or www.dictionary.com
6) Draw a picture or find one on the internet that relates to your topic.
7) Make sure to include your source.  i.e. Where did you get your information from?  website url, magazine title and date, newspaper title and date

Science Article Sources

1) https://www.dogonews.com/category/science

2) https://www.snexplores.org/

3) https://www.sciencenews.org/

- Click on the above link, scan the front page, find an article that interests you, click on it, read it, then follow the directions above!  :)

- Note: Use the front page of the website, don't go surfing around.  

	4	3	2	1	0
Heading, Neatness, Overall Organization	The loose leaf/Doc is neat, the heading is legible, the work is organized	-	-	Parts of the heading are missing, the Doc is disorganized	There is no heading. The loose leaf is torn. It is disorganized.
Summary explaining the main idea	There are at least five sentences in the summary paragraph, the summary is relevant to the article	There are only four sentences in the summary paragraph	There are only three sentences in the summary paragraph	There are only one to two sentences in the summary paragraph; relevance lacking.	There is no summary and/or it's irrelevant
1) How is it science related? 2) Why is this important? 3) How does this affect us?	All of the Science questions have been answered.	Two of the three Science questions have been answered.	One of the Science questions has been answered.	The questions have not been answered properly, they have been copied, etc.	None of the Science questions has been answered.
Science word dictionary definition	There is a Science word from the article that has a proper dictionary definition.	-	-	-	There is no definition, it has been made up, the word is not from the article, etc.
Science illustration	There is an illustration from the web that relates to the article OR the student created one themselves with effort	There is a student constructed Science illustration with no color or satisfactory effort.	Minimal effort has been put into the Science illustration.	Bare minimum effort shown	No illustration provided