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Scientific Method Investigation Worksheet

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Scientific Method Investigation Worksheet

A windy-day test is coming up at the town’s model-building fair. Your team will investigate which paper-tower design holds the most weight. Read the investigation plan, study the results, and use evidence to explain what the data show. You can also try the test with paper, tape, and small coins or washers.

Plan the investigation

Investigation question: Which paper-tower shape supports the greatest number of identical coins before it bends or collapses? In this fair test, the independent variable is the design being tested. The dependent variable is the number of coins supported. Keep the paper size, tower height, tape amount, coin type, and method of adding coins the same.

1.Which tower shape do you predict will hold the most coins? Give one science-based reason for your prediction.

2.Choose the independent variable in this investigation.

The tower shape
The number of coins held
The size of the paper

3.Name two things the builders should keep the same for every tower, and explain why one of them matters.

Results from the first test

Each tower was made from one sheet of the same paper. The same type of coin was added one at a time to the center of a small platform on top. The test stopped when the tower bent or collapsed.

Tower shape

Trial 1: coins held

Trial 2: coins held

Trial 3: coins held

Mean (average)

Cylinder

Square prism

Triangular prism

4.Which tower shape had the highest mean number of coins held?

5.The triangular-prism tower held 10, 11, and 12 coins. Show or describe how to calculate its mean, then give the answer.

6.A teammate says, “The square-prism tower is strongest because it held 10 coins in one trial.” Use the full results to explain why this claim is not the best conclusion.

7.Which design had the greatest spread between its highest and lowest trial results? Calculate the spread by subtracting the lowest result from the highest.

8.Which observation is quantitative data?

The tower leaned slightly to the left.
The paper felt smooth.
The tower held 12 coins.

9.Suggest one improvement that could make the results more reliable, and explain how it would help.

10.Sketch one tower on a flat base with a small platform centered on top. Add and label the load, and show how you would keep the coin placement consistent.

11.Write a short conclusion that answers the investigation question. Include the strongest design and at least one result as evidence.