1. Mrs. Mars Chatsworth High School
Mystery Bag Challenge
Mrs. Mars
Chatsworth High School

2. What is Science?
Science is the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena.
You may not realize it, but you use science to solve everyday problems.
Consider oversleeping your alarm. You wake up an hour late for school. What happened? How can you find out?

3. The Scientific Method
Scientists use a certain process that has shown to work reliably with solving problems and answering questions about the world around us – The Scientific Method.
Scientists record information they gather into a lab report. They follow basic steps to arrive at their answers and to provide a record of their discoveries to share with others.

4. The Scientific Method
Observation – the process of gathering information about events or processes in a careful, orderly way.
It generally involves using the senses directly or via instrumentation)
Data - the information gathered during observations.
Quantitative data – expressed as numbers, obtained by counting or measuring.
Qualitative data – data that is descriptive and involve characteristics that can’t usually be counted.

5. The Scientific Method
Hypothesis – a proposed scientific explanation for a set of observations.
Usually an “if” “then” statement
Based on inferences, or one or more logical interpretations based on prior knowledge or experience.
Gather Data –
Experimentation – test the hypothesis with a controlled experiment and record data
Research – look to other resources to gather more information

6. The Scientific Method
Analyze data – interpret the data you gathered and relate it back to the hypothesis
Can the hypothesis be disproved?
If it can, you may have to formulate a new hypothesis and begin again
If it cannot, then further testing and gathering of data may lead to a theory, law or final solution to a problem.

7. The Scientific Method
Conclusion – Accept or reject the hypothesis. Does the data support the hypothesis? Why or why not? What suggestions are there for further study? Refer to the work of other scientists.
Now Let’s try a to apply some of this in The Mystery Bag Lab!

8. Mystery Bags You will now be divided into groups of 4 or 5
Go to your assigned stations
You will take out a separate sheet of paper to write your own lab report
You will make observations about the contents of the bag and create hypotheses about what you believe is in the bag after each set of observations

9. Lab Report Instructions
Title your paper “Mystery Bag Challenge”
Materials:
Red bag with unknown contents
Metric ruler
Double beam balance

10. Lab Report Instructions
Step one: Pick up the bag, but do not open or look inside. Gently shake the bag.
Observations:
Write down two observations. For example: What do you feel/hear?
ANSWER: are the data quantitative or qualitative? How do you know?
Hypothesis:
Predict what is in the bag

11. Lab Report Instructions
Step two: open the bag just enough to fit your hand inside. Feel the object with your fingers
Observations:
Write down two observations about the object based on what you can feel
ANSWER: are these data qualitative or quantitative? How do you know?
Hypothesis:
Predict what is in the bag. If you still believe it to be the same as before, say so

12. Lab Report Instructions
Step three: open the bag and take out the object. Place it on the table and look at it carefully
Observations:
Write down two observations about what you see
ANSWER: Are these qualitative or quantitative data? How do you know?

13. Lab Report Instructions
Step four: pick up the ruler and measure the object
Observations:
Record the object’s length, width, and height in centimeters (cm) or millimeters (mm)
ANSWER: Is this data quantitative or qualitative? How do you know?

14. Lab Report Instructions
Step five: place the object on the double balance
Observations:
How much mass does the object have in grams? (Mass is the amount of matter an object has and is not the same as weight)
Record the mass on your lab report
ANSWER: is this qualitative or quantitative data? How do you know?
Hypothesis:
After gathering all of your data, write your final prediction of what the object is

15. Conclusion
Pull the card out of the bag and read it and answer the following questions on your paper in the form of a paragraph (be thorough!)
Accept or reject your hypothesis - Was your final prediction correct? If yes, what observation gave it away?
Did your predictions change during the lab? Why or why not?
If you still did not know what the object was before looking at the card, what are some ways you could find out?
Which data did you find the most useful in your hypotheses, qualitative or quantitative? Why?