2.

05: Science and You Worksheet—Assignment Template

To use this template, go to File, select Download As. Then select the file type you can edit.
Once you are done please save this file and attach to your assessment.

Name: Manuel Cusicanqui

For this assessment, you will evaluate some real-world scenarios and determine if they are ​science​ or
pseudoscience.​ You will also design your own experiment that uses the scientific method. Be sure to review the
grading rubric before submitting your work.

Want a quick review on practicing science?! Use the following questions below to help you identify Science
from Pseudoscience. These ​DO NOT​ need to be answered for this assignment. Rather, you can use them to help
support your responses to the scenarios below. If your answer is NO to any of the questions, then the example is
Pseudoscience.

✔ Has it been tested and observed numerous times by more than one group of scientists?
✔ Is the study or data documented completely?
✔ Does it follow the scientific method? ​(If any part is missing can this be science?)
✔ Does the information contain just facts and avoid mixing in opinion and assumption?
✔ Is the information presented purely for public knowledge, avoiding being connected with a new product
for sale? ​(Can science be bias?)
✔ Does the information and research come from a non-profiting party?
✔ Is this information supported by any other studies that have been conducted by other companies or
agencies?

Part 1: Read the examples and answer the questions. ​(25 points)

Example 1

Would this example be considered science or pseudoscience?

Reason 1: This is somewhat pseudoscience, mainly because the experiment hasn't been part of a
professional test or observation, but it was discovered by accident.
Reason 2: Certainly this experiment didn’t go accord to the scientific method.
Reason 3: Since this was not planned there was no record of the procedure. There is no way to prove that
the fuel became cold.
Example 2

Would this be a well-designed, reliable experiment?

Reason 1: It follows the scientific method
Reason 2: Reliable experiment since it was performed in two different farms.
Reason 3: In this experiment, there were two groups of tomato plantations, both having the same sunlight
and water, but one of them had 10%more of hydrogen levels.

Example 3

Should the Food and Drug Administration trust this scientific study and allow the company to sell the
water with this claim?
Reason 1: This scientific study might be proceeded in a biased way, since the owners were the ones who
started it.
Reason 2: Since the data is not for public knowledge, it might have bias.
Reason 3: The food and drug administration should not permit the company to sell products because they
did not follow every part of the scientific method.

Example 4

Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, or do both sides have valid points?
Reason 1: Both photographers have good points, however they both are obviously biased.
Reason 2: Kiera is just giving the pros of her device, which sounds biased because she’s not letting know
if her device has any downsides.
Reason 3: Instead, Andrea claims that Kiera’s device might have some issues but does not clarify whether
or not Andrea’s device have any pros compared to Kiera’s one.

Example 5

The town of Seaside needs to build a new power plant. The old coal burning plant produces too much pollution
and is no longer safe. The mayor decides that he will do some research on alternative forms of energy like
nuclear power plants and solar power plants.

What types of resources should the mayor use to conduct his research?
It should trust in the scientific method and the inspection done by scientists.

Why would these be considered reliable source of information?

It might be reliable since normally nuclear and solar power plants are inspected by scientists and other
because of safety norms.
What types of resources are reliable?
Th solar power plants.

How can the mayor use what is learned to make the best decision for the town?
All the knowledge mentioned would be very helpful for the final decision.

Part 2:

Design your own plan for a scientific experiment. ​You do not have to conduct your experiment​.

✔ Choose a topic that you are interested in, and come up with a testable question.
✔ Write a procedure so that you could perform an experiment if you wanted to, or someone else could read it
and follow the steps.
✔ Include all the steps of the scientific method. Since you will not be able to record data or draw a conclusion,
for the last two steps please include a description of what each step involves.

Your points will be awarded as described below:

Purpose & Hypothesis 10 points
Materials & Procedure 15 points
Conclusion 10 points

Scientific Experiment: ​Your finished product should include the following:

Experiment Topic:
Is the overuse of phones in teenagers harmful?

Experiment Purpose:
I want to know whether or not phones cause an addiction that might be not fixable.

Hypothesis:
I believe that teenagers spent more time in their phones that in other activities

Materials ​(these are the materials someone would need if they were going to do this experiment)​:
-Research
-Interview teenagers
-5 volunteers, so we can record what their day to day is like.

Procedures ​(step by step instructions someone would follow in order to do this experiment)​:
-With all the information gathered we now proceed to record what their daily basis is like.
-Check if they have been more preoccupied in their phone more than homework or chores.
-At the end of the record we add all the time the teenager use their phone in the day
-Then we compared this with the time they have slept on that day.

This is how the experiment uses the scientific method ​(include all of the steps in the proper sequence; think
about how you’ve used the scientific method in your experiment):
1.Purpose: Is the overuse of phones in teenagers harmful.
2.Research: Research for other similar experiments or facts.
3.Hypothesis: Spending more time on the phone and not doing other activities.
4.Interview: Test teenager answers and check if they are somewhat lying about their addiction to the phone.
5.Data: after the experiment is done we will check the time spent on phones compared to the time spent on
other activities.
6.Conclusion: The final answer to the main question.

Conclusion questions:
1. What measurements or other method of data collection would you use?
It can also be done by using more volunteers, or looking at other data.

2. How could you form a statement about your hypothesis based on the data? ​(Would your hypothesis be
supported or rejected based on your “data”?)
I believe my hypothesis would be supported since nowadays most people use their phones every day, thus
they might get some type of addiction to it, even causing them anxiety or depression when they don’t possess
one of these devices.