Santa Margarita Middle School Science

Experimental Design Lab Outline/Guide

Questions:
1.) What caused the change?
a. Temperature
b. Sunlight
c. Light in general
d. Both?
e. Air?
2.) How are you going to test your hypothesis?
a. Get a buddy, since they have one and you have one, put one straight into the sun
and put one in hot water (in a cup), inside
b. Different sources of light (lamp, sun, heater)
c. Sunblock
d. Sunglasses
1. Title: This should be descriptive and fairly short.
a. Light versus Temperature
2. Experimental question:
What effect does (Independent Variable- I.V.) have on (Dependent Variable- D.V.) ?
What effect does different types of light have on the color of the bead?
3. Hypothesis:
If _(How is I.V. changed?) , then (How is D.V. affected?) , because (Explain why ).
If we put the bead under different types of light, then the light will affect the bead and
make it change colors.
4. Materials: List all materials you need to complete this lab (complete paragraph not
necessary.)
Magic Bead
Classroom Light
Small Container
Different objects to block the light
Different kinds of light (flashlight, classroom light, sun light, etc.)
5. Procedure: A sequential list is better than complete paragraphs.
1.) Take your Magic Bead and put it under the classroom light for one minute, at a distance
of one foot away
2.) Record what happens.
3.) Take the magic bead and put it under the flashlight
4.) Repeat these steps with all of your different kinds of light
A. Describe each step
B. Repeat trials
C. Draw a diagram or model to help explain your experiment.
6. Data Table or Graph
A. Separate the trials.
B. Use the following format:
Independent Variable (IV)
Flashlight
Classroom Light

Dependent Variable (DV)

Bead remained the same
Bead became a dull red

Lamp
Sunlight

Bead became bright red

Bead became bright red

7. Graph
A. Use a simple yet descriptive title.
B. Label both axes with title and units. For example, Time (sec.)
C. Use an appropriate scale.
8. Possible Experimental Errors:
A. Identify possible sources of error or bias.
B. Explain how these errors or bias could have affected your results.
My experiment could have been affected by a number of variables. First, it was hard to separate
light from heat. It is possible that holding the bead for a long period of time caused it to change
colors instead of the lamp and sunlight. I also know that there are different kinds of light bulbs in
flashlights, lamps, and the classroom. These might have affected my results. I also might have
expected a definite change in the beads color when it was in the sun and saying it was bright
red may be my own bias.
9. Conclusions:
A. Remember to restate your hypothesis: The hypothesis was..
B. Discuss whether the data supports your hypothesis or not. (Use supported or not
supported instead of right or wrong.) How do you know? Discuss how the graph shows your
conclusion.
C. Make recommendations for future experiments. How could you improve this experiment so
the information would be more reliable? What related experiments could you recommend to
future researchers?
My original hypothesis was that different types of light would affect the bead differently. The data
I gathered did support my hypothesis as evidenced by my data table. Under each of the
different light sources, the bead changed (or did not change) to a different color. That leads me
to believe that light is the cause of the beads change. In the future, I would recommend not
holding the bead so it does not take on any heat from your hand. In addition, I would check the
lightbulbs to see if they are the same or different.

1.)
What caused the change?
2.) How are you going to test your hypothesis?