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Laboratory Skills Scientific Method: Shape of Water Splatter Versus Drop Heighl

Date: Names:

SCIENTIFIC METHOD:

SHAPE OF WATER SPLATTER VERSUS DROP HEIGHT

INTRODUCTION: lf you dribble Kool-Aid while you are standing when you pour it, will it splatter
more or less than if you are sitting when you pour it?

OBJECTIVE: ln this activity, we will practice using the scientific method while investigating the
effect of drop height on the size and shape of water droplet splatters when they land'
We will be carefulto change only the one item whose effect we will observe. This is
called the EXPERIMENTAL VARIABLE. All of the other conditions must be kept
completely identical. These conditions are called CONTROLS.

pROCEDURE: 1 . As you follow the instructions to complete the investigation below, fill in the

steps of the scientific method by writing in what you do at each step in the
waterdroplet investigaiion where it matches a step in ihe scientific method.

STATE PROBLEM:

GATHER INFORMATION (name sources of information):

c. d.

MAKE HYPOTHESIS:

EXPERIMENT:

RECORD DATA (list examples of data): a.

b. c.

FORM CONCLUSION:

@ Mark Twain Media, lnc., Publishers

Laboratory Skills Scientific Method: Shape of Water Splatter Versus Drop Height

Date: Names:
2. Add 2 drops of food coloring to your beaker.

3. Add 100 mL of water and mix.

4. Partially fill the glass dropper with colored water.

5. Measure the heights listed in the chart using a meterstick positioned with
one end on the splatter paper and the other end measuring dropper height.

6. From each height, drop 3 drops of water (in different places on the paper).

7. Measurethe size of the splatterin MILLIMETERS, and record eachtrialsize
in the chart. Add the sizes to get a total, and divide by 3 to find the average
size of each splatter.

B. Repeat this process for each height.

9. For each dropheight, write a description of the splatter in the chart, also.
Examples: "Drop is very round," "Drop broke apart," or "Drop is surrounded
by little splatters."

10. On the graph, plot the average splatter size versus drop height.

DATA: DIAMETER OF DROP SPLATTERS (mm) Description
Drop Height
Trial 1 Trial2 Trial 3 Total Average
5cm

10 cm
20 cm
40 cm
80 cm

?C

O Mark Twain Media, lnc., Publishers 16

Laboratory Skills Scienti{ic Method: Shape ol Water Splatter Versus Drop Height

Date: DROP HEIGHT VERSUS SPLATTER SIZE

80 8 9 10 11 121314 1516 17 1819 2021 2223 2425
75
70 SPLATTER SIZE (MM)
65
60
^66

950

lqs
Hr3o5o

o0E4-3205

20
15
10

5

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QUESTIONS:
1. How does your conclusion compare to your hypothesis?

2. Describe two things (controls) that you had to do exactly the same for each trial to make sure
you were as accurate as you could be.

a.

b.

3. Which type of data do you think is "best" for use in reporting scientific data: measurements or
descriptions? Why?

4. What advantage do other types of data have?

5. lf you want to have less to clean up when you spill, how should you pour your Kool-Aid, while
sittinq or standinq?

O Mark Twain Media, lnc., Publishers

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