Understanding Simple vs Controlled Experiments

Understanding Simple vs Controlled Experiments An experiment is a scientific procedure used to test a hypothesis, answer a question, or prove a fact. Two common types of experiments are simple experiments and controlled experiments. Then, there are simple controlled experiments and more complex controlled experiments. Simple Experiment Although the phrase simple experiment is tossed around to refer to any easy experiment, its actually a specific type of experiment. Usually, a simple experiment answers a What would happen if...? cause-and-effect type of question. Example: You wonder whether a plant grows better if you mist it with water. You get a sense of how the plant is growing without being misted and then compare this with growth after you start misting it. Why Conduct a Simple Experiment?Simple experiments usually provide quick answers. They can be used to design more complex experiments, typically requiring fewer resources. Sometimes simple experiments are the only type of experiment available, especially if only one sample exists. We conduct simple experiments all the time. We ask and answers questions like, Will this shampoo work better than the one I use?, Is it okay to use margarine instead of butter in this recipe?, If I mix these two colors, what will I get? Controlled Experiment Controlled experiments have two groups of subjects. One group is the experimental group and it is exposed to your test. The other group is the control group, which is not exposed to the test. There are several methods of conducting a controlled experiment, but a simple controlled experiment is the most common. The simple controlled experiment has just the two groups: one exposed to the experimental condition and one not-exposed to it. Example: You want to know whether a plant grows better if you mist it with water. You grow two plants. One you mist with water (your experimental group) and the other you dont mist with water (your control group). Why Conduct a Controlled Experiment?The controlled experiment is considered a better experiment because it is harder for other factors to influence your results, which could lead you to draw an incorrect conclusion. Parts of an Experiment Experiments, no matter how simple or complex, share key factors in common. HypothesisA hypothesis is a prediction of what you expect will happen in an experiment. Its easier to analyze your data and draw a conclusion if you phrase the hypothesis as an If-Then or cause and effect statement. For example, a hypothesis might be, Watering plants with cold coffee will make them grow faster. or Drinking cola after eating Mentos will cause your stomach to explode. You can test either of these hypotheses and gather conclusive data to support or discard a hypothesis.The null hypothesis or no-difference hypothesis is especially useful because it can be used to disprove a hypothesis. For example, if your hypothesis states, Watering plants with coffee will not affect plant growth yet if your plants die, experience stunted growth, or grow better, you can apply statistics to prove your hypothesis incorrect and imply a relationship between the coffee and plant growth does exist.Experimental VariablesEvery experiment has variables. The key variables are the independent and dependent variables. The independent variable is the one you control or change to test its effect on the dependent variable. The dependent variable depends on the independent variable. In an experiment to test whether cats prefer one color of cat food over another, you might state the null hypothesis, Food color does not affect cat food intake. The color of the cat food (e.g., brown, neon pink, blue) would be your independent variable. The amount of cat food eaten would be the dependent variable.Hopefully, you can see how experimental design comes into play. If you offer 10 cats one color of cat food each day and measure how much is eaten by each cat you might get different results than if you put out three bowls of cat food and let the cats choose which bowl to use or you mixed the colors together and looked to see which remained after the meal. DataThe numbers or observations you collect during an experiment are your data. Data are simply facts.ResultsResults are your analysis of the data. Any calculations you perform are included in the results section of a lab report.ConclusionYou conclude whether to accept or reject your hypothesis. Usually, this is followed by an explanation of your reasons. Sometimes you may note other outcomes of the experiment, particularly those that warrant further study. For example, if you are testing colors of cat food and you notice the white areas of all the cats in the study turned pink, you might note this and devise a follow-up experiment to determine whether eating the pink cat food affects coat color.

The ABCs of School Visits with an Independent Bookstore

The ABCs of School Visits with an Independent Bookstore If you write for children or young adults, you probably already know that school visits can be an excellent way to supplement your income, get to know your audience, and introduce new readers to your books. But did you know that organizing school visits in partnership with your local independent bookstore can make the experience even easier and more productive? Here are four reasons to consider partnering with your local indie. 1. Especially if youve moved recently or are newly published, you might not have personal connections with the schools and educators in your community. Local bookstores often have existing partnerships with schools, and you can benefit from those connections when you work with a bookstore on organizing your visit. Bookstores can introduce you to teachers, librarians, and parent leaders, and theyre likely to know which schools or even classes might be the best fit for you and your books. This is particularly helpful if you live in an urban area with a lot of different schools near 2. If youre visiting a school, youll want to give students and teachers a way to buy your books, but the purchasing process can be complicated. When youre working in partnership with a bookstore, the store will likely handle a lot of the legwork for you, including coordinating order forms, getting books from the publisher and transporting them to the school, and processing payment. In many cases they will also promote your books to the school and do their best to make sure sales are high. Different stores have different policies, but most will be able to make the sales process much easier for you. This applies even if your books are self-published; many stores are still willing to coordinate sales of self-published books in exchange for a share of the revenue. 3. Schools are chaotic places with a lot of moving parts, and sometimes handling logistics can be as challenging as presenting to students. Many bookstores will send a representative to the school on the day of your visit to help out with all the little details, from troubleshooting tech to assisting you with signing and personalizing books. This leaves you free to focus on your biggest fans- the kids! 4. Partnering with a bookstore on school visits is also a great way to build a relationship with the store itself, which might lead to in-store events in the future. As an added bonus, some school events will include more than one childrens author, which means you might get to know some wonderful new colleagues in the process. Lots of independent bookstores around the country have school visit programs, and even those that dont might be glad to develop one in partnership with you. If youre interested in visiting schools through a bookstore, its always a good idea to send the store an introduction about you, your books, and what your presentation can offer a school. Know that some stores have limited resources and might not be able to work with you right away, but chances are theyll still be happy to keep your contact info on hand. To find a store near you, check out indiebound.org. Author