Now that your team has finished collecting data it's time to start thinking about the results and how you think we did conducting a Fair test that tested just a single variable.
Your first work should be to finish the graph that your team set up in class if you did not get done before the period ended. (Don't rush! A graph is only useful if it allows us to see the data clearly. )
Before we start writing our conclusions, you should do some thinking about the experiment your team designed.
Complete the questions on the Variables Homework Sheet.
Here are the questions if you lost your copy.
Controlling Variables: Solar Panel Experiment
Name: _________________________ Homeroom Teacher: _______________Team Number: ____
Instructions: Please answer the questions below to prepare for next week's team discussion on writing conclusions.
1. The Independent Variable
Question: Which specific variable did your team choose to test? (This is the one thing you changed on purpose).
Write your answer here:
2. Controlled Variables (Successes)
Question: Which variables did your team successfully keep constant (the same) throughout the experiment so they would not affect your data?
Please list the variables and explain specifically how you ensured they stayed the same.
Variable 1: _______________________________________________________
How we controlled it: ___________________________________________
Variable 2: _______________________________________________________
How we controlled it: ___________________________________________
3. Uncontrolled Variables (Sources of Error)
Question: Which variables did your team struggle to control? (These are factors that may have unintentionally changed and affected the voltage output of your solar panels).
4. Experimental Design Improvements
Question: Look at the variables you listed in Question 3. For each one, describe how you could redesign the experiment to control it better next time.
Idea 1: _____________________________________________________________
Idea 2: _____________________________________________________________
