SOL Review: Scientific

Investigation

The Science 8 SOL Test

5 Categories Scientific Investigation Earth & Space Systems Life Systems Ecosystems Force, Motion, Energy, &

Matter

The Breakdown

50 Total Questions11 Scientific Investigations Questions6 Earth & Space Systems Questions7 Life Systems Questions8 Ecosystems Questions18 Force, Motion, Energy, & Matter Questions

Graphically Speaking…

The Plan

Monday TuesdayWednesd

ayThursday Friday

Scientific Investigation

Earth & Space Systems

Life Systems Ecosystems

Force, Motion, Energy, & Matter

THE Book

Compilation of all released SOL questions based on topics

What that means for you…Everything that we will be reviewing is relevant and VERY likely going to be on this SOL test

What I need from YOU!

Attendance

Attention

Effort

Cooperation

Strong Positive Attitude

…with this, you’ll have SUCCESS!

SI Metric UnitsWhat are the metric units for the following (may be more than 1):

Volume

Density

Mass

Temperature

milliliter, liter grams/milliliterkilograms/cubic metergrams/cubic centimeter

milligrams, grams, kilogramsDegree Celsius

Metric Instruments

What instrument do we use to measure…

Mass

Volume

Length

Time

Temperature

Triple-beam balance Graduated Cylinder

Ruler

Stopwatch

Thermometer

What is the length of the line?

1.4 cm

What is the volume?

52.8 mL

What is the mass?

100

300

0.5

130.52 grams

What is the mass?

545.2 grams

Scale Models1 cm = 50 meters

According to the scale shown above, what is the length of the orange box?

1 cm = 50 meters4.5 cm = 225 meters

Scientific Notation

Write each number in Scientific Notation:

0.07882

0.00000272338

118000

87200

7.882 x 10-2

2.72338 x 10-6

1.18 x 105

8.72 x 104

Scientific Notation

Move the decimal to a place where the number is between 1 and 10.

The exponent is the number of places that you move the decimal.

If the exponent is negative, it’s a little tiny number.

If the exponent is positive, it’s a very large number.

Standard Format

Write each number in Standard Format:

3.443 x 10-7

1.525 x 106

0.0000003443

1,525,000

Range

3.7 4.6 7.3 0.2 4.6What is the range for the data above?Range = largest number – smallest numberRange = 7.3 – 0.2

Range = 7.1

Reading a Bar Graph

According to this graph, what month was the deadliest?

July

Interpreting a Graph

Which graph below shows the most probable effect of environmental pollution on the chances of human survival?

A) In 1939 a greater percentage of energy was obtained from hydroelectric dams than in 1989.

B) Fossil fuels made up a greater percentage of total energy use in 1939 than in 1989.

C) Coal represented a larger percentage of the total energy use in 1989 than in 1939.

D) The percentage of natural gas used has decreased over time.

Which is

true?

Which battery lasted the longest? The shortest?

The Longest = Energizer

The Shortest = Panasonic

Based on the graph below, on day 11, how many pages do you think Sue will have read in her book?

Number of Days

Num

ber

of

Pag

es

Read

55 Pages

Given this incomplete data table, describe the procedure you would carry out for this experiment.

The chart shows results of a plant fertilizer experiment. Which group of plants showed the greatest gain in height?

Group Group Size

Brand of Fertilizer

Average Height Before Using

Fertilizer (cm)

Average Height 2

Weeks After Using Plant Light (cm)

1 25 A 5.4 29.02 25 B 5.3 27.03 25 C 5.2 28.04 25 D 5.5 25.5

Classifying Organisms

1. Wings covered by an exoskeleton …………..…go to step 2 Wings not covered by an exoskeleton ……..….go to step 3

2. Body has a round shape ……………………....…….ladybug Body has an elongated shape ……………..….grasshopper

3. Wings point out from the side of the body ……….dragonfly Wings point to the posterior of the body ………….housefly

Ladybug Grasshopper DragonflyHousefly

Experimental Design

Two companies make baseballs, and each claims its ball goes farther. Which would be the best scientific evidence to decide which ball goes farther?A) A base ball player hits each ball, and one measures how far each goes.B) A machine hits each ball with exactly the same force, and one measures how far each goes.C) One reads results of tests conducted on the two balls by each company.D) One sets up a survey and asks 500 baseball players which ball goes farther.

Experimental Design

A gardener did an experiment to determine which of the three brands of fertilizer would produce the most growth in his plants. For three different plants of the same species, he used each of the three brands of fertilizer. Once a week, he made observations for each plant. Which would have improved the experiment?A. Using a different species of plant for each brand of fertilizer.B. Mixing the fertilizers.C. Making observations every two weeks.D. Testing each fertilizer with more than one plant.

Experimental Design

Robyn wants to find out if the rainfall in her town contains pollutants. The best way for Robyn to gather this information would be to collect ___.A. one sample on one rainy dayB. one sample a day on several rainy daysC. several separate samples on one rainy dayD. several separate samples on several rainy days

Experimental DesignHigh quality valid scientific experiments, should:

Have a high “n” value…which means you test a lot of subjects

Be repeatable and repeated…with the same conclusions

Have a control…although not every experiment lends itself to one

Have only one independent variable…keep everything else constant

For plant experiments, make sure you give all plants equal sunlight exposure and water…unless of course, your independent variable is to vary the amount of sunlight or water

Watch out for sketchy experiments…

Not enough subjects

Subjects were not similar

Conditions of experiment were not kept the same OR more than one independent variable.

The experiment was not reproducible.

No control group, when there should have been one!

Variables

o Independent Variable - something that is changed by the scientisto What is testedo What is manipulated

o Dependent Variable - something that might be affected by the change in the independent variableo What is observedo What is measuredo The data collected during the investigation

Constants vs. Control Constants = all the factors that are kept the same

throughout the whole experiment…this is everything except the independent variable Example: In a plant experiment to test 3

different fertilizer brands, the constants include: type of plant, amount of sunlight, amount of water, etc.

Control = the basis for comparison…not all experiments lend themselves to a control Example: In a plant experiment to test 3

different fertilizer brands, the control group would have no fertilizer applied at all

Identify Independent & Dependent Variables

Students of different ages were given the same jigsaw puzzle to put together. They were timed to see how long it took to finish the puzzle.Independent = Different Ages of ChildrenDependent = Time it takes to FinishWhat’s held constant in this experiment?the puzzle, the stopwatch, environment, etc.

Identify Independent & Dependent Variables

An investigation was done with an electromagnet made from a battery and wire wrapped around a nail. Different sizes of nails were used. The number of paper clips the electromagnet could pick up was measured.Independent = Size of the Nail

Dependent = Number of Paper Clips Picked UpWhat’s held constant in this experiment?Battery, Wire, Type of Nail, etc…

Independent & Dependent Variable

The temperature of water was measured at different depths of a pond.

Independent = Depth of Water

Dependent = Temperature of Water

What’s held constant in this experiment?Thermometer, Time of Day, etc.

Scientific Resources

If the question asks about “which resource is best for…” Look for key words like “current”

think Internet Most “accurate” or “effective”

think government report/website or scientific journal

Use common sense & just make sure it sounds legitimate