Activity 1

HIDDEN OBJECTS

Purpose

The purpose of this activity is to understand the nature of scientific inquiry by predicting the contents of closed containers.

Introduction

We often think of science and mathematics as a body of knowledge that must be memorized, but in reality they are a way of knowing and thinking. In this activity, we will use scientific thinking to predict the contents of several containers.

Instructions

You will be given three closed containers. The goal of this activity is to predict the contents of each container.

Without opening the containers, begin to make observations and form hypotheses about their contents. Record all observations on the answer sheet in the appropriate section. When you have gathered all the information that you can, write hypotheses about the contents of your containers under Initial Hypothesis. Be sure to give an explanation for your reasoning.

After recording predictions, get a copy of the possible items in the containers from the instructor. Compare this list to your initial hypothesis and use it to revise your hypothesis. Write your revised hypothesis and your reasoning for the revision in the appropriate section.

At this point, you may have identified the contents of all the containers, or there may be just one or two you feel confident about. Choose just one container and open it. Revise your other hypotheses, if necessary, and record your results.

Let the instructor know when you are ready to open the containers. This will be done as a class. Be ready to justify your predictions (whether they were right or wrong) after the containers are opened. Record how well your predictions matched the actual contents in the Summary and Conclusions section. Also discuss things you might have done differently, other methods of gathering information that could have been used to determine the contents of the containers, and anything else you learned from this activity.

Activity 1

HIDDEN OBJECTS

Observations

Initial Hypotheses

Container 1:

Container 2:

Container 3:

Revised Hypotheses

Container 1:

Container 2:

Container 3:

Summary and Conclusions