Name: Angela Cui

Lab Partner(s): Somya Dave, Shane Francis, Rohan Dubey

Mr. Schilp
Date: Sep/16/2022

All About Golf Balls: The Scientific Method and Measurement

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe science as being a process of proposing and testing hypotheses.
2. Distinguish between statements that are testable by science and those that are not.
3. Describe the meaning and purpose of experimental controls.
4. Write a testable hypothesis.
5. Design an experiment to test a hypothesis.
6. Gather data from an experiment and analyze the data.
7. Create a table using data gathered during an experiment.
8. Define percent error and describe its significance in relation to experimental results.

Introduction:

The word “science” is derived from a Latin verb scientia, meaning, “to know.” Science is a
way of knowing about the world. There are many other ways of knowing – in other words, of
finding truth – including faith, philosophy, and cultural tradition. All of these ways of knowing
help us understand different aspects of our world.
The essence of science as a way of knowing is the formulation and testing of statements called
hypotheses. A hypothesis is a tentative explanation of how something works or of the cause of an
event. Scientific hypotheses must be testable. In other words, hypotheses must be made in such a
way that observations of the natural world can help us support or reject them. Hypotheses are
tested via objective observations; that is, observations that when made by many different,
independent people would produce the same results. The first step in testing a hypothesis is
making a prediction about the observations one would expect to make if the hypothesis was
correct. You can think of a prediction as the “then” part of an “If . . . then . . .” statement. In other
words, “If this hypothesis is true, then I expect to observe . . .” A prediction forms the basis for
evaluating the truth of any statement. The prediction of the hypothesis that antibacterial soap kills
more bacteria on hands than standard hand soap is that hands washed with antibacterial soap will
have fewer bacteria on them than hands washed with standard soap. Many (but not all) scientific
hypotheses can be tested through experimentation. An experiment is a situation set up by a
researcher solely for the purpose of testing a hypothesis. The hypothesis about antibacterial soap
is testable by experiment.

When a hypothesis can be tested through experimentation, the most effective way to remove
ambiguity (the chance that results could be interpreted in more than one way) from the results is
to design a controlled experiment. Control indicates that the researcher works to ensure that all
subjects in the experiment are treated identically (except for the experimental treatment). In other
words, a control helps to verify that the effect of an experimental treatment is due to the treatment
itself and not some other factor. One common control in an experiment is to keep both the
subjects and the technicians performing the experiment unaware of which individuals are
receiving the experimental treatment and which are not. Experiments designed in this manner are
called double-blind, because the participants cannot “see” what outcome is expected and, even
unintentionally, bias the results. Measurements collected from tests of hypotheses are called data.
A graph is a “picture” of the data collected.
Accuracy:
When scientists need to compare the results of two different measurements, the absolute
difference between the values is of very little use.  The magnitude of error of being off by
10 cm depends on whether you measure the length of a piece of paper or the distance from New
York to Boston.  To express the magnitude of the error (or deviation) between two measurements
scientists invariably use percent error.
If you are comparing your value to an accepted value, you first subtract the two values so
that the difference you get is a positive number.  This is called taking the absolute value
of the difference.  Then you divide this result (the difference) by the accepted value to
get a fraction, and then multiply by 100% to get the percent error.
So,  % error =   | your result - accepted value | x 100 %
  accepted value
Several points should be noted when using this equation to obtain a percent error.
1) When you subtract note how many significant figures remain after the subtraction, and
express your final answer to no more than that number of digits.
2) If neither of the two values being compared is an "accepted value", then use either
number in the denominator to get the fraction.  If one value is more reliable than the
other, choose it for the denominator.
3) Treat the % symbol as a unit. The fraction is dimensionless because units
in the values will cancel.
4) Notice that the error is a positive number if the experimental value is too high, and a
 negative number if the experimental value is too low.
Example:  A student measures the volume of a 2.50-liter container to be 2.38 liters.
What is the percent error in the student's measurement?
Ans.      % Error = (2.50 liters - 2.38 liters) x   100%
  2.50 liters
                       =  (.12 liters) x    100%
  2.50 liters
                        =  .048 x 100%
                        =  4.8% error

Purpose: To better understand the scientific method, the metric system and dimensional analysis.

Goal: To create a new measurement system based on the physical characteristics of a golf ball.

In order to create a new measurement system based on the physical characteristics of a golf ball,
you must first FIND the physical characteristics of a golf ball. Only the materials provided
determine the golf ball's length, volume and mass.
Materials:
Item Quantity
Pipette 2
Petri dish 1
Metric ruler 1
Inch/centimeter ruler 2
4x6 index card 5
Plastic cup 2
Foil dish 2
Graduated cylinder 1
Wash bottle 1
Tape 1
Golf Ball 1
Box of paper clip 1
Scissors 2
Tap Water unlimited
String 4m 30 cm
B2 pencil 2
Hint: 1ml of water has a mass of 1g

Hypotheses:
For each physical characteristic of the golf ball, you must write a hypothesis on how you could
determine this characteristic correctly.

Length:
Wrap the string around the center of the golf ball, then measure that segment of string to get the
length.

Volume:
Fill the cup with water, and put the golf ball in another empty cup. Then pour water from the first
cup to the second one until it's full. The water left is the volume of the ball.

Mass:
Balance the same weight of ball and water on a ruler, then test how many grams they are.
Experiment:
Conduct an experiment to determine if your hypothesis will work. You must write your procedure
in the space provided. Your experiment is deemed successful if you have the correct data.

Length:
We wrap the string around the center of the golf ball, and cut the string where the 2 ends meet.
We then measure that segment of the string using a ruler to get the circumference. Then since we
know circumference = pi*d we divide it by pi to get their diameter, or the length.

Volume:
We filled one cup with water, and another cup with the ball in it. Then we move water from the
first cup to the second one using the pipettes until the second one is full. The volume of water left
is the volume of the ball. Then we convert mL to cm^3 with a ratio of 1:1.

Mass:
We put 2 cups on the two ends of a ruler. One cup with the golf ball in it, and we fill the other cup
with water until it is balanced with the ball, meaning they have the same weight. Then we
measure the water in mL and convert it to gram with a 1:1 ratio to get the mass.

Data Table:
 Group Group Group Group Group Group Class Accepted
Measurement
1 2 3 4 5 6 Avg. Value

Length 4.30 4.44 4.33 4.25 4.50 4.30 4.35 4.24 cm

Volume 44.30 40.80 40.00 37.50 39.00 28.00 38.23 40.19 cm^3

Mass 36.50 61.10 48.00 44.35 43.00 44.00 46.16 45.50 g

Having determined each physical characteristic of the golf ball please proceed to convert these
objects' metric measurements to their new golf ball measurement. (use the accepted value of
the golf ball)

Length:
What is the length of the following objects in golf balls (Gb):
Item Metric measure Golf Ball Measure
A paper clip (jumbo): 4.7 cm 1.11 Gb
An unsharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2: 19 cm 4.48 Gb
A meter stick: 100 cm 23.58 Gb
One lap of the track: 40,000 cm 9433.96 Gb
A mile: (1609 m) 160,900 cm 37948.11 Gb
A 5 Km race: 50,000 cm 11792.45 Gb

Volume:
What is the volume of the following objects in golf balls (gB):
Item Metric measure Golf Ball Measure
Small foil dish (full to brim): 40 ml 1.00 gB
10 ml of water: 10 ml 0.25 gB
Clear plastic cup (full to brim): 258 ml 6.42 gB
A 500ml Aquafina water bottle: 500 ml 12.44 gB
A gallon of milk: 3785.41 ml 94.19 gB
An Olympic size swimming pool: 55,000,000 ml 1368499.63 gB

Mass:
What is the mass of the following objects in golf balls (GB):
Item Metric measure Golf Ball Measure
A paper clip (jumbo): 1g 0.02 GB
An unsharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2: 4.5 g 0.10 GB
10 ml of water 10 g 0.22 GB
Clear plastic cup (full to brim): 270 g 5.93 GB
A 500ml Aquafina water bottle: 512 g 11.25 GB
Your Biology Textbook: 2720 g 59.78 GB
A large African Elephant (male) 131868.13 GB
6000kg: 6,000,000 g

Data Analysis:

1. Why is it important to use the metric system when conducting scientific experiments?
Scientists use an international unit for experiments to avoid confusion and misunderstanding.

2. How was the scientific method implemented in this lab?

We hypothesize how we will measure the golf ball, then try it out to see if it works or needs more
revisions.

3. How did your hypotheses change when conducting your experiment? Did they change at
all?
My hypotheses of how to measure the golf ball’s volume changed. Originally I planned to put the
ball into a cup full of water, and the amount of water that overflows will be the volume. Yet I find
out that it's hard to keep the water that overflow into a container, so we decided to pour water into
the cup with the ball in it, and what’s left in the first cup is the volume of the ball.

4. Why should you write down all your procedures exactly as you completed them in the
lab?
So if there is any mistake I can go back and check what it is and revise it for the next trial.

5. What was the most challenging characteristic to determine?

The most challenging part is to measure the mass of the golf ball.

6. Knowing the accepted value of the golf ball, what is your percent error for each, length,
volume, and mass?
Percent error for length ≈ 4.74%
Percent error for volume ≈ 1.52%
Percent error for mass ≈ 34.29%

7. What characteristic had your greatest percent error? What characteristic had your least
percent error
Our measurement on mass has the greatest percent error while we have the smallest percent error
for volume.

8. Did this match which characteristic you found the most challenging to determine?
Yes, the result matches my prediction.

9. Complete the following chart:

10. How did the class average value for each characteristic compare with your group’s value?
To the accepted value?
 Percent error Percent error Difference
Measurement
your group class avg. between the two Who’s closer?
Length 4.74% 2.59% 1.88% The Class
Volume 1.52% 4.88% 3.36% Our Group
Mass 34.29% 1.45% 32.84% The Class
11. Do you think that repeating experiments, again and again, could decrease uncertainty?
Yes, I think repeating experiments can rescue uncertainties and make our results more accurate.

12. What are some factors that could have led to uncertainty during the experiment?
Since we look at the ruler and graduated cylinder, we might make mistakes when reading the
markings. Moreover, when finding the mass by balancing the ball and water, it’s hard to
determine how much water will make it balanced. Especially that we are using the rulers as a
scale instead of a more accurate tool.

13. In your opinion what is the acceptable error?

In my opinion a 5% error will be acceptable.

14. Do you think the golf ball will ever replace our standard unit of measure? If so for which
category? Please explain your reasoning.
I don’t think the golf ball will ever replace our standard unit of measure, because each golf ball
can be produced slightly different in size or shape; unlike our current measurement which
theoretically is universal and accurate.

Model 1 – Foot Width in a High School Classroom

Female Male foot
foot width width (cm)
(cm)
7.8 10
8 10.5
8 9
5 9.3
17 13
7.5 7.5
7.5 10
7 9.2
7.8 9
7 4.5
 Median = Middle value of an ordered set of
data.

Mode = Most frequently occurring value in a

set of data.

15. Refer to the data in Model 1.

a. What value for foot width is most frequent in males?
The values for foot width most frequently in males are 9 and 10 cm.

b. What is this value called?

This value is called the mode.

16. Determine the median value for foot width for males and for females. Describe in
complete sentences the method you used to determine the median values.
The median foot width for male is 9.25 cm; the average foot width for females is 7.65 cm.
I organize the foot width of all ten people, whether they are females or males, from least to
greatest, then find the sum of the 2 middle values, and divide the sum by 2 to get the median.

17. Determine the mean for each data group, and describe in a complete sentence
how you calculated them.
The average foot width for male is 9.20 cm; the average foot width for females is 8.26 cm.
I add up the foot width of all ten people, whether they are females or males, then divide the sum
by the number of people, which is 10.

Within a data set, there may be individual values that seem uncharacteristic or do not fit
the general trend. These data points may be referred to as outliers or anomalous data.
In most samples, a small number of outliers is to be expected, due to the variation
inherent in any naturally-occurring population. Outliers can also result from errors in
measurement or in the recording of data. Normal variation can often be distinguished
from error by repeating the measurements to see if the same range is obtained. Scientists
also use statistical calculations to determine the expected range of data, so that
judgments can be made about the authenticity of individual data points. Outliers should
not be ignored, however, as many interesting scientific discoveries have resulted from
the study of such unexpected findings

18. Which data point(s) in the foot width values in Model 1 might be considered outliers?
Explain your choice(s).
 The data points 5 and 17 for the female foot width, and the 4.5 and 13 for the male foot width
may be the outliers. Because they are either too small or great compared to other data.

19. The equation below allows you to calculate the amount of deviation (in percent) for
the values within a data set. The percent deviation is reported as an absolute value.

20. Given the outliers and amount of deviation in each data set, which value (mean,
median, mode) best represents the overall data set of foot width in males and females?
Explain your answer in a complete sentence.

The female data set had the largest percent deviation.

21. What could you do to determine whether the outliers in Model 1 are authentic
measurements?
We can repeat the experiment more times to see if that data range shows up again. If not then it’s
most likely an error instead of normal variation.

22. Under which circumstances would it be appropriate to remove outlying data points
from the analysis and conclusions in a scientific study?
It is appropriate to remove outlying data points when they are proven to be an error in measuring
or recording data.

23. If you were to decide to remove outlying data points from your analysis, what are two
ways you could indicate this in your report to ensure you are being honest about your
data analysis?
One way to indicate it is to analyze and find the average of past data. Therefore we can compare
it with our current data to prove that certain data is an outlier. We can even calculate the percent
error between the data that might be an outlier and the average data to see if it exceeds the
accepted error range. Secondly, we can draw the line of best fit with the outlier, and the line of
best fit with the outlier removed. Therefore we can compare them and see how much deviation
the outlier causes. This helps us to justify whether we should remove the outlier or not.
Teacher Information:
Item Quantity
Meter stick 1
Clear plastic cup 2
Foil dishes 2
Index cards 10
Manila folders 2
Metal coat hanger 1
One water bottle (500ml) opened
1
filled to brim
Paper clip box 1
Pipette (2ml) 2
Ruler 1
Scissor 1
Sheets of 8.5” *11” paper 2
String ~10 ft.
Dixon Ticonderoga #2 2
Length:
What is the length of the following objects in golf balls (Gb):
Item Metric measure Golf Ball Measure
A paper clip (jumbo): 4.7 cm
An unsharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2: 19 cm
A meter stick: 100 cm
One lap of the track: 40,000 cm
A mile: (1609 m) 160,900 cm
A 5 Km race: 50,000 cm

Volume:
What is the volume of the following objects in golf balls (gB):
Item Metric measure Golf Ball Measure
Small foil dish (full to brim): 40 ml
10 ml of water: 10 ml
Clear plastic cup (full to brim): 258 ml
A 500ml Aquafina water bottle: 500 ml
A gallon of milk: 3785.41 ml
An Olympic size swimming pool: 55,000,000 ml

Mass:
What is the mass of the following objects in golf balls (GB):
Item Metric measure Golf Ball Measure
A paper clip (jumbo): 1g
An unsharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2: 4.5 g
10 ml of water 10 g
Clear plastic cup (full to brim): 270 g
A 500ml Aquafina water bottle: 512 g
Your Biology Text book: 2720 g
A large African Elephant (male)
6000kg: 6,000,000 g