Science Experiment Topic Ideas List
Below are some topic ideas for the science experiment task. You do not have to choose one of the below topics (you can if you would like); these topic ideas (below) are here to help with ideas for this task. Getting Course Mentor feedback or input on your idea before doing the experiment is encouraged.
Remember when planning your science experiment, formulating your specific testable question, and laying out variables, you must have quantitative data (data in numbers) as opposed to qualitative/descriptive/subjective data. For this task, your dependent variable (what you measure) must be quantitative (numeric) in nature.
NOTE: If you choose to do a life science experiment involving an organism (living thing), the experiment must not involve any verte
ate organism; (Verte
ates are animals with a backbone- this includes: mammals-such as humans, dogs, cats, horses, mice; verte
ates also include: birds; fish; reptiles; amphibians).
Science Experiment Topic Ideas:
Seed germination
Plant growth
Food preference of inverte
ates
Habitat use of inverte
ate
Movement of inverte
ates
Growth rates of inverte
ates
Effectiveness of antimicrobial disinfectants
Bread mold growth
Decomposition rates
Chemical reaction rates
Paper airplane design
Bounce height of different balls
Catapulting objects
Parachutes
Magnet strength
Insulators
Sound conduction
Heat conduction
Conducting, generating or storing electricity
Friction
Freezing, melting or evaporation rates
Heating or cooling rates
Erosion
pH changes
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BRP1 — BRP TASK 1
NATURAL SCIENCE LAB — C683
PRFA — BRP1
COMPETENCIES
XXXXXXXXXX : Academic Research
The graduate evaluates academic sources for their credibility and relevance to a chosen research topic on a
natural world phenomenon.
XXXXXXXXXX : Scientific Inquiry
The graduate accurately executes the process of scientific inquiry through experimentation in the natural
world.
XXXXXXXXXX : Drawing Conclusions
The graduate draws conclusions based on academic research and scientific inquiry.
INTRODUCTION
For this task, you will design, conduct, and report on an experiment in the natural sciences. The natural
sciences include biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, and astronomy, but exclude compute
science/simulations or the social sciences (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics). The purpose of this task is
for you to demonstrate your understanding of the scientific method from research and design to reporting of
esults.
Your experiment must involve a testable hypothesis where a variable is manipulated. Although you are
welcome to test multiple hypotheses, one is sufficient. If your experiment contains multiple hypotheses o
variables, each one should address the criteria stated in the associated ru
ic aspect. Your experiment should
demonstrate a basic scientific principle and does not need to lead to a new scientific discovery.
Be sure to incorporate appropriate safety precautions when designing and executing your experiment.
Experiments conducted on verte
ate organisms (including humans) are strictly prohibited by WGU policy.
Before conducting your experiment, select a field of natural science of interest to you. Read from a variety of
sources (e.g., WGU learning resource, internet articles, books) to na
ow your interest to a specific
experimental topic. For a list of possible science experiment topic ideas, refer to the “Topic List” attachment.
Identify at least two reference materials that explain the scientific principles that motivate the experiment
you will conduct; these will be included in your lab report's literature review section.
Prepare a lab report with the following sections:
? Introduction and Literature Review
? Hypothesis
? Methods
TASK OVERVIEW SUBMISSIONS EVALUATION REPORT
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? Results
? Conclusions
? Sources
REQUIREMENTS
Your submission must be your original work. No more than a combined total of 30% of the submission and no
more than a 10% match to any one individual source can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from
sources, even if cited co
ectly. An originality report is provided when you submit your task that can be used
as a guide.
You must use the ru
ic to direct the creation of your submission because it provides detailed criteria that
will be used to evaluate your work. Each requirement below may be evaluated by more than one ru
ic
aspect. The ru
ic aspect titles may contain hyperlinks to relevant portions of the course.
The experiment must be in the natural sciences—not computer sciences or the social sciences (e.g.,
psychology, sociology, economics). No simulations and no experiments on verte
ate animals (including
humans) are permitted.
Section I: Introduction and Literature Review
A. Summarize how at least two reference materials relate to the basic scientific principles of you
experiment. Each reference material must come from a different source. Be sure to describe how the
eferences provide a foundational background for the experiment you will conduct.
Section II: Hypothesis
B. Make a hypothesis(es) to predict the effect of a manipulation of an independent variable on a
quantitative dependent variable.
C. Justify your hypothesis(es) based on prior research and known scientific principles.
Section III: Method
D. Describe the independent variable(s); include the following information:
• a description of how the variable(s) will be manipulated
• a description of experimental conditions, if applicable
E. Describe the dependent variable(s); include the following information:
• a description of how the variable(s)will be quantified, including units of measure
• a description of how the variable(s) will be recorded
F. Describe at least one external, confounding variable and how it will be controlled. Be sure to justify how
your method of controlling that variable will mitigate any confounding effect on observed results.
G. Describe your materials and measurement tools in enough detail that a reader would be able to replicate
the experiment.
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H. Describe your experimental procedure in enough detail that a reader would be able to replicate the
experiment.
Section IV: Result
I. Summarize the quantitative data gathered from each experimental manipulation. Be sure to highlight the
key findings and trends.
J. Create a visual representation (i.e., data table, graph, chart) for the data you gathered from each
experimental manipulation. Be sure that you choose a method of visual representation that effectively
communicates the main findings of your experiment (e.g., exact measurements, trends over time,
differences across categories, proportions). Make sure your visual representation clearly represents data
for each quantified variable, and be sure to label and align your data accurately. Remember also to
choose a scale that fits the range of the data and represent your data points precisely and accurately.
Section V: Conclusions
K. Discuss whether your hypothesis(es) was confirmed, refuted, or partially confirmed. Be sure to describe
the observed results supporting your conclusion.
L. Describe at least one uncontrolled, confounding variable that could have influenced your observed results
and any ways the experiment could be improved.
M. Discuss how your experimental results relate to the references presented in the literature review.
Section VI: Sources
N. Acknowledge sources, using in-text citations and references, for content that is quoted, paraphrased, o
summarized.
File Restrictions
File name may contain only letters, numbers, spaces, and these symbols: ! - _ . * ' ( )
File size limit: 200 MB
File types allowed: doc, docx, rtf, xls, xlsx, ppt, pptx, odt, pdf, txt, qt, mov, mpg, avi, mp3, wav, mp4, wma, flv, asf, mpeg,
wmv, m4v, svg, tif, tiff, jpeg, jpg, gif, png, zip, rar, tar, 7z
RUBRIC
CRITERIA FOR SUBMISSION:
NOT EVIDENT
The experiment is not in the nat-
ural sciences, or is a compute
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
N/A
COMPETENT
The experiment is in the natural
sciences—not computer sciences
or the social sciences, and does
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A:REFERENCES
B:HYPOTHESIS
C:JUSTIFICATION OF HYPOTHESIS
simulation, or the experiment in-
volves a verte
ate animal.
not involve computer simulations
or experiments on verte
ate
animals.
NOT EVIDENT
A summary of 2 reference mate-
ials is not included in the
Introduction and Literature
Review section.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The summary includes 1 refer-
ence material and logically ad-
dresses how it relates to basic
scientific principles and lays the
groundwork for the experiment,
or it includes 1 or more refer-
ence material but does not logi-
cally address how the materials
elate to basic scientific princi-
ples and provides a foundational
ackground for the experiment,
or the summarized materials
come from the same source.
COMPETENT
The summary includes at least 2
eference materials from differ-
ent sources and logically ad-
dresses how the reference mate-
ials relate to basic scientific
principles and provide a founda-
tional background for the
experiment.
NOT EVIDENT
A hypothesis is not provided.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
A hypothesis(es) is provided, but
the prediction described is not
quantifiable, it does not involve
the manipulation of an indepen-
dent variable on a quantitative
dependent variable, or the hy-
pothesis(es) does not give a
clear confirmation or refutation.
COMPETENT
The hypothesis(es) clearly de-
scribes a quantifiable prediction.
The hypothesis(es) involves the
manipulation of an independent
variable on a quantitative depen-
dent variable. The hypothesis(es)
is worded such that the results
give a clear confirmation o
efutation.
NOT EVIDENT
A justification of the hypothesis
is not provided, or the justifica-
tion is not based on prior re-
search and known scientific
principles.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The justification does not logi-
cally connect the hypothesis to
prior research and scientific
principles, or reference to prio
esearch and scientific principles
COMPETENT
The justification logically con-
nects the hypothesis to prior re-
search and scientific principles.
Reference to prior research and
scientific principles is summa-
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D:INDEPENDENT VARIABLE
E:DEPENDENT VARIABLE
F:CONFOUNDING VARIABLES
is directly quoted with no fur-
ther explanation from the
candidate.
ized in the candidate’s own
words.
NOT EVIDENT
No independent variable is de-
scribed, or there is no descrip-
tion of the manipulation of the
independent variable.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The description inco
ectly
identifies the independent vari-
able(s). The description of inde-
pendent variable(s) manipula-
tion lacks the clarity needed by a
eader to replicate the experi-
ment, or the manipulation is un-
suitable for the variable. If ap-
plicable, the description incor-
ectly includes how experimen-
tal conditions differ.
COMPETENT
The description co
ectly identi-
fies the independent variable(s).
The description of independent
variable(s) manipulation is clea
enough to be replicated by a
eader, and the manipulation is
suitable for the variable. If applic-
able, the description includes
how experimental conditions
differ.
NOT EVIDENT
No dependent variable is de-
scribed, or there is no descrip-
tion of how the dependent vari-
able will be quantified and
ecorded.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The description inco
ectly
identifies the dependent vari-
able(s). The description of how
the dependent variable(s) will be
quantified and recorded does
not include units of measure o
lacks the clarity needed by a
eader to replicate the experi-
ment. The quantification of the
variable, the units of measure, o
how the variable will be record-
ed is unsuitable for the variable.
COMPETENT
The description co
ectly identi-
fies the dependent variable(s).
The description of how the de-
pendent variable(s) will be quan-
tified and recorded includes units
of measure and is clear enough to
e replicated by a reader. The
quantification of the variable, the
units of measure, and how the
variable will be recorded are suit-
able for the variable.
NOT EVIDENT
No confounding variables are
described.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The description inco
ectly
identifies any number of exter-
nal, confounding variables. Or,
COMPETENT
The description co
ectly identi-
fies 1 or more external, con-
founding variable and describes
how it could impact the experi-
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G:MATERIALS
H:EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE
I:DESCRIPTION OF RESULTS
the description does not de-
scribe how the confounding
variables could impact the ex-
perimental manipulation. Or, the
description does not co
ectly
justify how the suggested
method of controlling the con-
founding variable would effec-
tively mitigate any confounding
effect on observed results.
mental manipulation. The de-
scription justifies how the sug-
gested method of controlling that
variable would effectively miti-
gate any confounding effect on
observed results.
NOT EVIDENT
A description of materials and
measurement tools is not pro-
vided, or the materials described
are not relevant to the
experiment.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The description of materials and
measurement tools is incom-
plete or is not detailed enough
for a reader to replicate the
experiment.
COMPETENT
The description of materials and
measurement tools used to com-
plete the experiment is complete
and detailed enough for a reade
to replicate the experiment.
NOT EVIDENT
A description of the experimen-
tal procedure is not provided.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The description of the experi-
mental procedure is incomplete
or is not detailed enough for a
eader to replicate the experi-
ment. The description does not
clearly indicate the frequency of
measurement or does not indi-
cate the tools used at each step.
COMPETENT
The description of the experi-
mental procedure is complete
and detailed enough for a reade
to replicate the experiment. The
description of the procedure in-
cludes details of the frequency of
measurement and the tools used
at each step.
NOT EVIDENT
A written description of results
is not provided.
APPROACHING
COMPETENCE
The written summary of the re-
sults does not focus on observed
quantitative measurements, o
is illogical, or fails to highlight
key findings