Conclusions and Evaluations

To understand your goals and objectives for this module, click the target. Or read this introduction and jump straight in by using the numbered links at the bottom of your screen.

Introduction

When you have carried out your experiment and made some observations, you have to decide what they mean. Was your hypothesis (what you thought  or predicted) correct?

It is easy to mix up results and conclusion. The results are simply a record of what you have seen. The conclusion is what the results tell you. It is a good idea to start your conclusion with whether or not your hypothesis was correct or not. 

Avoid saying my experiment worked or did not work!

If you think your experiment was not fair or could be improved or you could do further work then this comes in the evaluation section.

If you look at the graph of results, what does it tell you?

Does pulse rate increase with exercise? 

When you write your conclusion, you can refer to observations and measurements. 

Have a look at the graph again in reference 1 and then have a go at writing what it tells you about your hypothesis.

Was there anything you think was not fair or was hard to measure ? Could you improve anything.  Reference 2 give you an example of a conclusion. It also make suggestion of things that might be improved or followed up from this experiment.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results
Have another look at the results of this experiment.

Reference 2 Conclusion and Evaluation
What do the results tell you? Was the experiment fair?

Germination

Did the seeds germinate as you expected?

What can you find out from the results; do you think it is worth drawing a graph for each day?

Have another look at the results and graph in reference1. What do they tell you?

Was your test fair? Could it be improved? 

What do you think would happen to the plants if you kept them in the conditions they germinated in? 

Go to reference 2 for a conclusion , evaluation and further experiments.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results
Have another look at the results.

Reference 2 Conclusion and Evaluation
What do these results tell you? Was your experiment fair? Could you improve it or extend it to find out more?

Keeping Warm

Which jar cooled the fastest? Which jar cooled the slowest? Which fabric was best at keeping the jar warm?

Have another look at the graphs in reference1 to answer these questions.

Go to reference 2 to fill in a passage as a conclusion to this experiment.

Were there any problems in setting up the experiment? Was there anything else you could do to make it fair? Go to reference 3 for suggestions.

How could you use this experiment to find out if small animals get cold faster than big animals? Go to reference 3 to see how you could use this experiment as evidence to explain your answer to this and other questions about keeping warm.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results
Have another look at the graphs and refer to them to write a conclusion.

Reference 2 Conclusion 
What the graphs tell you, fill in the gaps using the graph to help you.

Reference 3 Evaluation
Did you have to be careful with anything? Was the experiment fair?

How you could use this experiment as evidence to explain your answer to the question about how well small and large animals keep warm and other questions about keeping warm.

Dissolving

In this experiment you saw the sugar disappear when you stirred the water. You saw most of the sugar disappear in hot water.

These were your results, observations. What do you conclude from this experiment? Was your hypothesis correct? 

Go to reference 1 to fill in the gaps in a conclusion.

Was your experiment fair? Can you think of other related experiments that you could do besides the ones suggested in module 4? Go to reference 2 for an evaluation.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Conclusion
Fill in the gaps to give a conclusion about sugar dissolving in water.

Reference 2  Evaluation
Was the experiment fair? Could you do further experiments?

Bouncing Balls

You will have a selection of results that can tell you about the balls you have tested. Can you see patterns in your results? Can you make general rules about bouncing balls and think of further tests?

Have another look at the results and see if you can work out the relationship between the type of ball, the type of surface and what is happening as a ball bounces.

Go to reference 1  to see your results again.

Use the results to make some general predictions about bouncing balls that you could test with further experiments. Go to reference 2 and see if you can fill in the gaps.

Was the experiment fair? Could it be improved? Are there other experiments that you could do? Answer these questions and then go to reference 3.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results
Another look at your results.

Reference 2 Conclusion and Evaluation
What happens when a ball bounces?  A gap filling exercise. 

Reference 3 Evaluation and further experiments.
Was the experiment fair? Could it be improved? Are there other experiments that you could do?

Friction

This experiment was repeated for accuracy- there are a series of results from which we can draw conclusions.

We worked out the average value for some of the results. In doing this we ignored two of the results; these were odd values caused by the block sticking to the water and the oil. The water tended to make the block stick anyway. 

Should we have done this? What else could we have done?

Have another look at the the results, and see if you can work out which is the best lubricant. Go to reference 1.

 If you have tried this experiment you may have found that the block sticks with water and oil some times. What can be done if this happens?

Can you think how you could measure the effect of the lubricants in any other way? How  could we find what force is needed to start the block sliding? Go to reference 2 for conclusions and evaluation along with the suggestion of further experiments.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results
Another look at the results..

Reference 2 Conclusion and Evaluation
Conclusions from the experiment and an evaluation.

Magnets

It is difficult to tell just by looking at a magnet how strong it is.

It may be surprising to find out which magnet is strongest and hard to explain why. If you try this experiment you may also have noticed something happening to the paperclips.

Look at the results in reference1  and see if you can make a general statement about the magnets. Go to reference 2 for some suggestions and an evaluation of the experiment.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results
A chance to look at the results of this experiment.

Reference 2 Conclusion and Evaluation
The conclusion and evaluation of the experiment in a gap- filling exercise.

Parachutes

In this experiment there is a clear pattern to be seen in the results.

Have another look at the results and see if you can draw a conclusion. If you tried the experiment, what problems did you have? Could you make the test fairer?

Have another look at the results in reference 1 and then go to reference 2 to write your conclusion in a gap filling exercise.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results
Another look at the results of this experiment.

Reference 2 Conclusion and Evaluation
A gap-filling exercise to help you draw conclusions and evaluate this experiment.

Light Bulbs

It was easy to see that as you slide the end of the wire along the pencil lead the bulb goes dimmer.

From Study Unit 4 we know that the more bulbs in a series circuit, the dimmer they get.

What  do you think causes the bulbs to be dimmer? Why do you think the lead works as a dimmer switch? Write down what you think and then go to reference 1 to see if you agree with the ideas there.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Conclusion 
An explanation of why the bulb gets dimmer.

You may be surprised by the results of this experiment -many people are!

Have a look at the results again in reference 1; if you look at the graphs, look carefully at the scales on the Y axis.

Which of the changes you made had an effect on the  way the pendulum swings?  Was the experiment fair? Were there any problems in doing the experiment? Go to reference 2 to fill in some gaps and write a conclusion.

Now click on the underlined links to access your information resources:

Reference 1 Results   Graphs
Another look at the results of this experiment.

Reference 2 Conclusion and Evaluation
A gap filling exercise to draw a conclusion and evaluate this experiment.

By the end of this Module,
you should be able to:

 

	see the need to check observations, comparisons and measurements by repeating them.
	make comparisons and compare results in data.
	recognise patterns in data and say whether they supports predictions made.
	draw conclusions.
	explain evidence and conclusions in terms of scientific knowledge and understanding.
	make further predictons based on their observations.
	review your work and that of others and describe its significance and limitations.