Physical Science 15

Your discussion post about the lab video is due by Tuesday, 9/2 on Blackboard by 11:55 PM PDT.

Your lab report is due at our next on-campus lab meeting (Wednesday, 9/3 or Thursday 9/4).

Our first lab is short, hopefully fun, and *full* of science. No matter what branch of science you might consider, from Astronomy to Zoology, it is often accepted that the process of investigating something starts with an observation. Sometimes that is a phenomena we see, hear, taste, touch, or smell (through one of our senses). You might see a lunar eclipse, or hear a clap of thunder after the flash of lightening, taste a hint of oak in a glass of Chardonnay, feel the smooth side of a stone at the beach, or detect the aroma of chocolate across the street from a bakery. Often we use scientific equipment to extend and help us detect or measure something beyond the range of our normal human senses - including microscopes or telescopes to see near and far, or amplifiers, spectroscopes, lasers, and other specialized apparatus. Sometimes, too, science can start with an observation of a pattern of motion - the repeating cycle of the moon's phases, or Venus' location in the evening sky for 9 months and then, after about 2 weeks of being "invisible", another 9 more months in the morning sky. Equally, it can be an observation of a pattern seen in numbers, like temperatures at the North Pole, or carbon dioxide gas concentrations over the last 50 years at an observatory in Hawaii. Or an observation of change over time, like shrinking ice caps and glaciers.

While there is a general agreement in the scientific community that the "scientific method" includes many different elements, there isn't necessarily agreement that all sciences involve all elements all the time, nor that each element must occur in a particular sequence. Perhaps more like creating music or art, doing science involves lots of things, some done intuitively, some done through enormous patience and perseverance and practice, some done spontaneously. For our class consider the following elements of the scientific method:

observation of data, and developing questions about trends, differences, and unique occurrences seen within that data,
research into previous work on similar questions,
building models and creating testable hypotheses,
designing, and gathering new data through, experiments,
testing and refining the models based on the analysis of new data collected,
modifying or discarding incorrect hypotheses,
developing interconnected hypotheses into theories,
sharing data and results with peers for independent evaluation and testing, and
publishing findings in peer-reviewed journals so that the community of science can advance.

From observation, we start down a road of scientific inquiry - with lots of chances to loop back and observe again and again, looking with increased attention to particular details. From our observations, we also start to ask questions, which lead to experiments, creation of models, development of theories, and still more tests. But throughout the process, we must be *observant* of Nature. So let's start there.

Lab #1 Process:

1. Observe the YouTube video about this lab. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM )

2. Observe the demonstration. Make as thorough as possible a record of exactly what you observed. Attention to details here is important!

3. Your turn! I'll give you the coke, and mentos. Record what happened!

4. After doing one trial yourself, come up with a list of questions you might explore, based on what you observed. For example,

Type of beverage - does Pepsi produce a different result?
How many mentos are needed to make a reaction? Do more dropped in the beverage produce a (higher/longer/wider/faster) eruption?

What possible experiments could YOU do yourself to answer one ore more of these questions? What equipment would you need? How precisely could you measure or collect the data you need to answer the question(s)?

This is one of the most important elements in the lab - and this section is the most important in your lab report. Aim for at least a page here.

5. View the YouTube video one more time, perhaps with friends and family at home! What did you observe about the process of science from the video? Discuss how the creators might have come to the finale of the video. What might they have done to reach the last grand demonstration? POST your response to this question (only) in the discussion area for the labs, and read and comment upon the posts of others.

Your written, typed, and spell-checked lab report should include responses to Parts 2, 3, and 4 above. For this lab, while you are welcome to collaborate with others in the class, please submit your own individual report. Aim for around 2 pages total. Bring the lab report to our next on-campus lab, or if you prefer, email it to me within Blackboard as a message, not as an attachment. Please don't post your lab report in the discussion forum.

Going Further: Extra Credit Post your essays for any of these in the Blackboard discussion forum for this Lab.

Explore WHY this reaction takes place, by reading the article below. In a short essay, discuss how the scientific process was illustrated in this paper.

Coffey, T. (2008) Diet Coke & Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? American Journal of Physics. Vol. 76, No. 6. June 2008. The article is linked in our Blackboard website in the Lab area.
Do a websearch on this experiment, looking for reputable, authoritative, credible resources that offer more explanations. You might look for the Mythbusters TV show episode about this phenomena! Share the resources you found, and comment upon how effective they were in demonstrating the scientific method. Include a properly formatted bibliography.
Do an experiment on your own, exploring this phenomena, and investigating one or more questions you created in step #3 above. Record your data for posterity, either in a digital video you can upload, or at minimum, a sequence of digital images we can upload for the class to view.