What do you think will likely happen when a cell containing 1% sucrose is placed in an environment with 50% sucrose? I would guess that the weigh of this experiment concentration will low the sucrose after they are mix togther. I would also like you to consider the following terms as they relate to this experiment: Tonicity: The ability of a solution to cause a cell to gain or lose water. The tonicity of a solution mainly depends on its concentration of solutes that cannot cross the plasma membrane relative to the concentrations of solutes in the cell. · Isotonic: An environment of equal solute concentration to the cell. In this environment, you will not likely see much of a change in cell size. Will water still move randomly across the plasma membrane? I will guess that the water would moved randomly because every living cell exists in a liquid environment that it needs to survive. One of the most important functions of the cell membrane is to regulate the movement of dissolved molecules from the liquid on one side of the membrane to the liquid on the other side. · Hypotonic: This term represents an environment that contains a lower solute concentration than the cell. In this case, water will move into the cell, the cell will swell and may burst. To test your knowledge from the last module, what cellular structure do plants have that will provide protection from burstinTop of Form 1 Bottom of Form 1 Top of Form 2 Bottom of Form 2 Top of Form 3 Bottom of Form 3 Emailing: Introduction to the Scientific Method — The Biology Primer Sunday, February 1, 2015 12:16 PM Mark as UnreadHYPERLINK "/neo/b/message;_ylc=X3oDMTBrZWRrbTYzBF9TAzk2NzI4ODAwNgRhYwNGbGFn?sMid=6&fid=Inbox&sort=date&order=down&startMid=0&filterBy=&.rand=787090718&midIndex=6&mid=2_0_0_1_178283_ABQNiWIAABFEVM5fiwXroG2Rzcc&fromId=&mcrumb=NpcBJWDS8gQ&enc=auto&cmd=msg.flagRead" Flag this message From: "Whidby Tiffany" <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Cc: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Full HeadersPrintable View --> · Home · Lab Primers · Instructor Portal · Weird Science · Search · Contact info The Biology Primer · Home · Lab Primers · Instructor Portal · Weird Science · Search · Contact info · Menu Introduction to the Scientific Method What is you favorite Skittles color? Do you sort your Skittles by color and eat one color at a time, or do you eat them randomly? In the lab, students will use the scientific method to answer the question, "Can humans detect the color of Skittles based on taste alone?" Student's work in groups of four, taking turns being 'subjects' of an experiment. The subjects are blindfolded and given Skittles, which they have to determine the color. Once all of the subjects have been tested, the students aggregate their data on the board and use statistics (an unpaired t test) to determine whether or not humans can detect the color of Skittles based on taste alone. A variety of unpaired t tests .

1. What do you think will likely happen when a cell containing 1%
sucrose is placed in an environment with 50% sucrose?
I would guess that the weigh of this experiment concentration
will low the sucrose after they are mix togther.
I would also like you to consider the following terms as they
relate to this experiment:
Tonicity: The ability of a solution to cause a cell to gain or lose
water.
The tonicity of a solution mainly depends on its concentration
of solutes that cannot cross the plasma membrane relative to the
concentrations of solutes in the cell.
· Isotonic: An environment of equal solute concentration to
the cell. In this environment, you will not likely see much of a
change in cell size. Will water still move randomly across the
plasma membrane?
I will guess that the water would moved randomly because
every living cell exists in a liquid environment that it needs to
survive. One of the most important functions of the cell
membrane is to regulate the movement of dissolved molecules
from the liquid on one side of the membrane to the liquid on the
other side.
· Hypotonic: This term represents an environment that
contains a lower solute concentration than the cell. In this case,
water will move into the cell, the cell will swell and may burst.
To test your knowledge from the last module, what cellular
structure do plants have that will provide protection from
burstinTop of Form 1
Bottom of Form 1

2. Top of Form 2
Bottom of Form 2
Top of Form 3
Bottom of Form 3
Emailing: Introduction to the Scientific Method — The Biology
Primer
Sunday, February 1, 2015 12:16 PM Mark as
UnreadHYPERLINK
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DAwNgRhYwNGbGFn?sMid=6&fid=Inbox&sort=date&order=d
own&startMid=0&filterBy=&.rand=787090718&midIndex=6&m
id=2_0_0_1_178283_ABQNiWIAABFEVM5fiwXroG2Rzcc&fro
mId=&mcrumb=NpcBJWDS8gQ&enc=auto&cmd=msg.flagRead
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Introduction to the Scientific Method

3. What is you favorite Skittles color? Do you sort your Skittles by
color and eat one color at a time, or do you eat them randomly?
In the lab, students will use the scientific method to answer the
question, "Can humans detect the color of Skittles based on
taste alone?" Student's work in groups of four, taking turns
being 'subjects' of an experiment. The subjects are blindfolded
and given Skittles, which they have to determine the color.
Once all of the subjects have been tested, the students aggregate
their data on the board and use statistics (an unpaired t test) to
determine whether or not humans can detect the color of
Skittles based on taste alone. A variety of unpaired t tests will
be employed to determine whether humans can: 1) detect the
color or Skittles (in general), and 2) detect specific colors of
Skittles.
This lab is an extremely fun, yet comprehensive experience
introducing students to the process of the scientific method.
The Scientific Method
The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating
phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and
integrating previous knowledge.To be termed scientific, a
method of inquiry must be based on empirical and measurable
evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning. The chief
characteristic which distinguishes the scientific method from
other methods of acquiring knowledge is that scientists seek to
let reality speak for itself, supporting hypotheses when their
predictions are confirmed and challenging hypotheses when its
predictions prove false. Scientific researchers propose
hypotheses as explanations of phenomena, and design
experimental studies to test these hypotheses via predictions
which can be derived from them. These steps must be
repeatable, to guard against mistake or confusion in any
particular experimenter. Theories that encompass wider domains
of inquiry may bind many independently derived hypotheses
together in a coherent, supportive structure. Theories, in turn,

4. may help form new hypotheses or place groups of hypotheses
into context.
Scientific inquiry is generally intended to be as objective as
possible in order to reduce biased interpretations of results.
Another basic expectation is to document, archive and share all
data and methodology so they are available for careful scrutiny
by other scientists, giving them the opportunity to verify results
by attempting to reproduce them.
The Scientific Method Process
The overall process involves making conjectures (or
hypotheses), deriving predictions from them as logical
consequences, and then carrying out experiments based on those
predictions to determine whether the original conjecture was
correct. Though the scientific method is often presented as a
fixed sequence of steps, they are better considered as general
principles. Not all steps take place in every scientific inquiry
(or to the same degree), and not always in the same order.
Nevertheless, the basic formula of the scientific method is as
follows:
The Scientific Method
The Scientific Method
Question
The question can refer to the explanation of a specific
observation, as in "Why is the sky blue?", but can also be open-
ended, as in "How can I design a drug to cure this particular
disease?" This stage also involves looking up and evaluating
previous evidence from other scientists and one's own
experiences. If the answer is already known, a different
question that builds on the previous evidence can be posed.
Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a conjecture, based on the knowledge obtained
while formulating the question, that may explain the observed
behavior of a part of our universe. The hypothesis uses a
general understanding of nature to generate a specific
prediction. Terms commonly associated with statistical

5. hypotheses are null hypothesis and alternative hypothesis. A
null hypothesis is the conjecture that the statistical hypothesis
is false (e.g. A drug does nothing and that any cures are due to
chance effects.). Researchers normally want to show that the
null hypothesis is false. The alternative hypothesis is the
desired outcome (e.g. The drug does better than chance.).
Scientific hypotheses must be falsifiable, meaning that one can
identify a possible outcome of an experiment that conflicts with
predictions deduced from the hypothesis; otherwise, it cannot be
meaningfully tested.
Prediction
Predictions are logical consequences of the hypothesis. Ideally,
the prediction must also distinguish the hypothesis from likely
alternatives; if two hypotheses make the same prediction,
observing the prediction to be correct is not evidence for either
one over the other.
Experimentation
Scientists test hypotheses by conducting experiments. The
purpose of an experiment is to determine whether observations
of the real world agree with or conflict with the predictions
derived from an hypothesis. If they agree, confidence in the
hypothesis increases; otherwise, it decreases. Agreement does
not assure that the hypothesis is true; future experiments may
reveal problems. Experiments should be designed to minimize
possible errors, especially through the use of appropriate
scientific controls. For example, tests of medical treatments are
commonly run as double-blind tests. Test personnel, who might
unwittingly reveal to test subjects which samples are the desired
test drugs and which are placebos, are kept ignorant of which
are which. Such hints can bias the responses of the test subjects.
Failure of an experiment does not necessarily mean the
hypothesis is false. Most individual experiments address highly
specific topics for reasons of practicality. As a result, evidence
about broader topics is usually accumulated gradually.
Analysis
Analysis of a well-designed experiment can either support or

6. falsify hypotheses. The predictions of the hypothesis are
compared to those of the null hypothesis, to determine which is
better able to explain the data. In cases where an experiment is
repeated many times, a statistical analysis such as a chi-squared
test may be required. If the evidence has falsified the
hypothesis, a new hypothesis is required; if the experiment
supports the hypothesis but the evidence is not strong enough
for high confidence, other predictions from the hypothesis must
be tested. Once a hypothesis is strongly supported by evidence,
a new question can be asked to provide further insight on the
same topic. Evidence from other scientists and experience are
frequently incorporated at any stage in the process. Many
iterations may be required to gather sufficient evidence to
answer a question with confidence, or to build up many answers
to highly specific questions in order to answer a single broader
question.
Scientific Inquiry
The goal of a scientific inquiry is to obtain knowledge in the
form of testable explanations that can predict the results of
future experiments. This allows scientists to gain an
understanding of reality, and later use that understanding to
intervene in its causal mechanisms (such as to cure disease).
The better an explanation is at making predictions, the more
useful it is, and the more likely it is to be correct. The most
successful explanations, which explain and make accurate
predictions in a wide range of circumstances, are called
scientific theories.
Most experimental results do not result in large changes in
human understanding; improvements in theoretical scientific
understanding is usually the result of a gradual synthesis of the
results of different experiments, by various researchers, across
different domains of science. Scientific models vary in the
extent to which they have been experimentally tested and for
how long, and in their acceptance in the scientific community.
In general, explanations become accepted by a scientific
community as evidence in favor is presented, and as

7. presumptions that are inconsistent with the evidence are
falsified.
Scientific knowledge is closely tied to empirical findings, and
always remains subject to falsification if new experimental
observation incompatible with it is found. That is, no theory can
ever be considered completely certain, since new evidence
falsifying it might be discovered. If such evidence is found, a
new theory may be proposed, or (more commonly) it is found
that minor modifications to the previous theory are sufficient to
explain the new evidence. The strength of a theory is related to
how long it has persisted without falsification of its core
principles.
Confirmed theories are also subject to subsumption by more
accurate theories. For example, thousands of years of scientific
observations of the planets were explained almost perfectly by
Newton's laws. However, these laws were then determined to be
special cases of a more general theory (relativity), which
explained both the (previously unexplained) exceptions to
Newton's laws as well as predicting and explaining other
observations such as the deflection of light by gravity. Thus
independent, unconnected, scientific observations can be
connected to each other, unified by principles of increasing
explanatory power.
Since every new theory must explain even more than the
previous one, any successor theory capable of subsuming it
must meet an even higher standard, explaining both the larger,
unified body of observations explained by the previous theory
and unifying that with even more observations. In other words,
as scientific knowledge becomes more accurate with time, it
becomes increasingly harder to produce a more successful
theory, simply because of the great success of the theories that
already exist. For example, the theory of evolution by natural
selection explains how species adapt to their environments.
The scientific method is not a single recipe: it requires
intelligence, imagination, and creativity. In this sense, it is not
a mindless set of standards and procedures to follow, but is

8. rather an ongoing cycle, constantly developing more useful,
accurate and comprehensive models and methods.
Lab: Can you test the Rainbow
In this lab you will be utilizing the scientific method in order to
address the following question:
· Can humans determine the color of Skittles® by taste alone?
Experimental Protocol
1. If this is an online lab you will perform the following
experimental protocol on yourself and one family member or
friend at home. If this is a classroom lab, you will work with a
group of four to complete this protocol.
2. Wash your hands with soap.
3. Each person will receive 3 Skittles® of each color (for a total
of 15).
4. Blindfold the first subject.
5. The handler will remove the allotted number of Skittles®
from the package and place them onto a paper plate. The subject
should be blindfolded for this part so they can not see the
colors.
6. The handler will give the subject one of the Skittles® and the
subject will predict its color. The color must be chosen
randomly!!!! If the color is correctly identified, it is deemed
“correct.” If the color is incorrectly identified (or the subject
can not identify the color), it is deemed “incorrect. "
7. Record results in the tables in The Biology Lab Primer as
tallies. For “ALL COLORS” simply add up the tallies of
“correct” and “incorrect” for the subject.
8. Repeat 4-7 for the other test subject.
9. Record your results on the whiteboard (if a face-to-face
class) or in the class discussion board of Blackboard® (if an
online class) by the specified due date according to the
instructions given to you by your instructor.
Results
Each subject that you tested in your group is known as a
replicate. The more replicates you include in your analysis, the
more reliable your findings become. This is due to the fact that

9. certain results can simply happen by chance. For example, if
you flipped a coin twice and got heads both times, it does not
mean you are certain to get a heads on a third coin toss. For this
reason, we are going to collect as many replicates from the class
as we have students. Fill in the table in The Biology Lab Primer
with the results from the whole class, reported on the white
board (in a face-to-face class) or in the discussion board of
Blackboard® (if an online class).
Analysis
As you conduct this experiment, you may feel that your
hypothesis may or may not be supported (or you may get a lot
of conflicting results). In order to summarize data of this
nature, we use statistics. A common statistic is mean. However,
simply calculating the mean of the two groups doesn’t tell us
whether or not those two groups are “statistically significantly”
different. For that we need a statistical test. For this analysis,
we will be using a simple test known as an unpaired t test.
In our case the unpaired t test will compare the means of two
groups. Our two groups are “correct” and “incorrect.” With this
test, we will be able to determine whether or not the difference
in the means of correctly identified Skittles® differs from
incorrectly identified Skittles®. In other words, we will be able
to determine whether or not we can discriminate among the
Skittles® flavors based on taste alone.
Protocol
1. Go to: http://www.graphpad.com/quickcalcs/ttest1.cfm
2. Under “1. Choose data entry format”, select “Enter up to 50
rows.”
3. Under “2. Enter data” you will input your data
o First change the label to correspond with the color of the
Skittles® and the correctness of the result. For example, if you
are testing the means of red Skittles®, label group 1 as “Red
correct” and group 2 as “Red incorrect”.
o Input the data from those two columns only.
4. Under “3. Choose a test”, select “Unpaired t test.”
5. Under “4. View the results”, click on “Calculate now.”

10. 6. Repeat steps 1-4 for each color (e.g. red, orange, yellow,
green, purple), and for “ALL COLORS.”
If you have never taken a statistics class before, the results spit
out by QuickCalcs (GraphPad Software, 2013) might be a little
intimidating. Have no fear! We will just focus on the statistics
that will answer our question.
p value
The p value allows us to determine whether or not the means of
the two samples are “significantly” different. When you take a
statistics class, you will learn how this statistic is created. For
our purposes, it is sufficient to be able to interpret this statistic
without actually knowing how to calculate it.
The p value is the probability (ranging from zero to one), that
answers whether or not the observed means of two populations
(e.g. “correct” and “incorrect” in our study) are real and not
merely a product of chance. In most biological studies, if the p
value is less that 0.05 we can state that there is, in fact, a
“statistical” difference between the two populations. This is
somewhat of an artificial cut off, but it is one that is widely
accepted in this field of study. Therefore, in our study if you get
a p value less than 0.05, you can state that there is a
“significant” difference between the “correct” group and the
“incorrect” group for that color.
Mean
The mean is simply the average. If you find that there is a
significant p value (p < 0.05), then the next step is to look at
the means (Fig. 1). If the mean is larger for the “correct” group,
this means that humans can identify that color by taste alone. If
the mean is larger for the “incorrect” group, this means that
humans can not identify that color by taste alone. If the p value
is insignificant (p≥0.05), we assume there is no difference
between those means. In other words, the results for our
experiment are inconclusive for the ability for humans to
discriminate color based on taste alone.
Example Result and Conclusion

11. Untitled.jpg
Fig. 2 represents results that could be found in this experiment.
It is comparing the number of correct versus incorrect
identification of red Skittles based on taste alone. If we look at
the p-value, it is less that 0.05 (0.02 = p < 0.05). From this
statistic, we can conclude that there is a difference between the
means of "correct" and "incorrect". By comparing the means, we
see that the mean "correct" is greater that "incorrect". From this
we can determine, with confidence that humans can determine
the color of red Skittles based on taste alone.