6 th Grade Unit 1 Benchmark: Test on Tuesday, November 10 th

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1 6 th Grade Unit 1 Benchmark: Test on Tuesday, November 10 th Engineering Design Process - If you think about it, the order of the steps makes sense, so think logically! The test will ask you to identify which step is described, so again, you don t necessarily have to memorize the exact words, but read over the Innovate sheet to see how they are all described. Again, it really does makes sense! Remember that engineers definitely do experiments, too! For instance, when you were deciding which type of wire to use for your paper clip, you were doing research, which includes experimenting. Research also includes reading, testing materials, writing letters to gather information, and asking questions. Criteria versus constraints: (Know the difference!) Criteria - the things that you need, or have to do Uniqueness was a criteria since you needed to make it was different than other paper clips. Strength was also a criteria since it needed to hold 10 sheets of paper. Constraints - the things that limit you, or that you can t do For instance, size was an example of a constraint; the paperclip could not be bigger than the 5x5 cm box. You were not allowed to use other materials such as feathers or ribbon to decorate your paper clip, you had to use the wire we had in the classroom, etc. Time was also a constraint since you only had a few days to make your paper clip. Scientific Method = Controlled Experiments - Know the steps and understand what each step means. (See your Scientific Method Investigate sheet.) *BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THE 3 DIFFERENT TYPES OF VARIABLES!* Controlled variables - all the things you keep the same as you do an experiment. Controlled variables are used for comparison so you can see if there was any change between the control and the experimental variable. In the Facial Tissue Lab, we all used white, 2-ply, plain tissue, we all dropped the pennies from the same height and the same, flat way, we used the same amount of water, we let the water soak in for 30 seconds, etc. A control group is the group that is used for comparison. Example #1: If we were trying to determine if milk helps plants stronger (since the calcium in milk helps our bones stay strong), the plants that receive normal treatment water would be the control group. The group of plants that receive milk instead of water would be the experimental group.

2 Example #2: If we are trying to see if eating 10 jelly beans makes 6 th graders grow taller faster (like the magic beans in Jack and the Beanstalk ), the class that ate the jelly beans each day would be the experimental group, and the class that did NOT eat the jelly beans would be the control group. Independent/Manipulated Variable - the only thing that you change during the experiment. For instance, in our penny/liquid lab, it was the type of water: tap versus soapy. In the Facial Tissue Lab, it was the brand of facial tissue. Dependent/Responding Variable the thing that you watch/measure/record to see if it changes. For instance, in the penny/liquid lab, it was how many drops of water fit on the penny. In our Facial Tissue Lab, it was the number of pennies each brand held. This is the data we recorded on our data table! These are the RESULTS! Remember that running an experiment more times gives us better, more accurate data; testing it once or only a few times isn t a good way to get good results. Running more tests allows us to be able to find averages. An average may allow us to see patterns and relationships between variables, and possibly make better predictions in the future. Data collection: Range - the distance between the largest and smallest number. For instance, Puffs brand of tissue held, at the lowest, 14 pennies and, at the highest, 74 pennies. The range is 50 pennies. (74-14= 50) ( The raaaaaange! The raaaaange! Maximum minus minimum equals the raaaaaaaange! ) Average: Add up the numbers! Add up the numbers, and divide by the number of categories! For instance, 12 pennies + 18 pennies + 22 pennies + 14 pennies = = 16.5 pennies average Conclusion: KNOW THE 3 PARTS (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) OF A GOOD CONCLUSION: Claim: The answer to the question you are trying to solve. For instance, if the question is Which facial tissue is the strongest? the claim might be, Puffs tissue is the strongest. Evidence: These are numbers from your collected data, or observations. For instance, in the Facial Tissue Lab, the evidence might be, Puffs held an average of 48 pennies, Up & Up brand held an average of 22 pennies, and Kleenex held an average of 12 pennies.

3 Reasoning: This is your explanation of WHY things turned out the way they did. For instance, you might closely look at Puffs tissue and determine that the fibers of tissue are longer and better woven than the other brands, or you might decide that, even though they are all 2-ply tissue, the two layers of Puffs are a little thicker than the others, giving it more strength. Mass versus Weight: See your Science Court-Gravity sheets and test to review. Mass - amount of matter or stuff in an object. Mass is measured by a balance. Mass does not change, no matter what planet or moon you are on unless you gain or lose weight on a diet. The more mass, the more gravity things have. That s why the Sun has a lot of gravity; it has a LOT of mass! Your mass would NOT change if you went to the moon or to Mars. The distance an object also affects the gravitational attraction; for instance, if you were in outer space, you would be too far from Earth to be affected by its gravity. Weight a measure of the pull of gravity. Weight is measured by a scale. Gravity pulls the object down and the scale measures the pull. Your weight would change, if you went to the moon or Mars. Force a push or a pull (The Earth s gravity PULLS things DOWN.) Gravity - Earth s gravity is a force that pulls us down towards the center of the Earth. Yes, everything that has mass has gravity, but Earth s gravity is the main gravitational force around here, and it pulls everything DOWN. Gravitational Support Force the force that opposes (goes against) gravity For example, if you are sitting in a chair, Earth s gravity is pulling you down, but the chair is pushing you up with an equal force! If it didn t, you would fall on the floor because it wouldn t hold you up! If you push on the floor with your foot, the floor pushes back. If you push on a table with your elbow, the table pushes back! Vector an arrow drawn to show the direction and the strength (magnitude) of a force.

4 Metric measurement Be able to measure to the nearest.1 centimeter (cm) and the nearest millimeter (mm). The answers are at the bottom of this sheet, so you can check your own answers. (No, you don t need to turn anything in!) Metric Introduction The beauty of the metric system is that it is based on the number 10. The diagram below shows you a section of a metric ruler. Each numbered line represents one centimeter (cm). Each small mark after the numbered lines represents one-tenth of a centimeter. 1 tenth of a centimeter = 1 millimeter (mm). The larger mark between numbered lines represents five tenths of a centimeter. This allows you to easily see the number of lines over the whole centimeter that an object measures. In the metric system, we always use decimals, never fractions. Answers: A).6 cm = 6 mm B) 1.2 cm = 12 mm C) 2.2 cm = 22 mm D) 3.7 cm = 37 mm E) 5.6 cm = 56 mm F) 6.7 cm = 67 mm G) 7.5 cm = 75 mm

5 The seat of the swing is pushing up with the same force that gravity is pulled the hamster down. The vectors are the same length to show this.