2. 2
What is a Problem Statement?
The question that you select for
your investigation – the basis of
your experiment.
The research and experiment
you will be conducting center
around finding an answer to the
question or problem statement.
3. 5
A Good Problem Statement
(or Purpose)
The problem statement only needs to be
one sentence long.
The problem statement is always in the
form of a question.
Should be open-ended (not answered by
yes or no)
A problem statement includes what is
changed (independent variable) and what
is measured (dependent variable).
4. 6
A Good Problem Statement
How does light affect the reproduction
of bread mold on white bread?
Note the question is about:
one life process
one type of mold
one type of bread
one factor that affects it growth
(reproduction)
(bread mold)
(white bread)
(light)
5. 7
A Poor Problem Statement
How does light affect molds?
Note the question would have to test:
all the life processes of mold
all types of mold
all types of growth mediums
one factor that affects its growth (light)
6. 8
Choose a problem that can be
solved experimentally
Look at each question below and evaluate. Is it an example
of a good or poor problem statement? Explain why.
What is mold?
Poor problem statement because it can be answered by
finding the definition of the word mold in the dictionary.
Will a green plant stay green if grown in the dark?
Poor problem statement because it can be answered by
a yes or no.
How does temperature affect the growth rate of bread mold
on white bread?
Good problem statement because it can be answered
by experimentation.
7. 13
Now, pick 1 bad problem statement and re-write
it to make it better. Use the following
templates or your own:
What is the effect of (a) on (b)?
How does (a) affect (b)?
In what way does (b) depend on (a)?
Which (a) will (b)?
(a) - is the independent variable
(b) - is the dependent variable
