Have you ever made a statement that you could do something better than someone else and then been challenged to put it to the test?
How did you go about proving your assertion? Did you set up some parameters for monitoring what was going on and evaluating the outcome?
As you look at the next interaction, think about:
What makes a test fair?
What is being tested?
How is it being tested?
If you can't access the interaction below, you can use this alternative instead.
Do you think this is a fair test?
Was there anything special that you noticed about it? What did you think about the set of rules devised by Adam and Brendon?
See if you can answer the following questions about Adam's and Brendon's bouncing ball test. Take a little time to think about your response and then compare your ideas with the 'answer'. Click on the scientific term to display an explanation of the main attributes of a test.
If you can't access the interaction below, you can use this alternative instead.
Ball (size, shape, material, weight are the same.)
Height the ball is bounced from.
Time (one minute).
How did you go?
To help you check your understanding of the underlying principles of setting up a fair test, replay the bouncing ball test, and see if you can make the connection between the explanations provided and what is actually happening in the test.
Do you think Adam's hypothesis is correct? Can he bounce the ball more times in a minute than Brendon?
Have a look at this graph, interpret the results and see if you can make a conclusion:
Any ideas? Compare them with the following conclusion.
Conclusion:
The hypothesis is not supported because the data does not show that Adam can bounce the ball more times in a minutes than Brendon.
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