11. Scientific Investigation

What is the aim of a scientific logbook?

• For authentication and assessment purposes

• To record data and provide information on how the investigation was designed

• To provide detail on how risks can be managed

• All of the above

A student wanted to conduct an experiment investigating the effect of sunlight on plant growth. Which list places the scientific method in the correct order?

• Record plant growth, develop the hypothesis, check safety and ethical guidelines, draw conclusions

• Formulate a hypothesis, record and analyse plant growth, construct evidence-based arguments and draw conclusions

• Develop an aim, draw conclusions, plan investigation, record plant growth and analyse data

• Plan an investigation, make predictions, measure distance from sun and record plant growth

When planning a scientific investigation, it is important to choose a topic that

• is personally interesting.

• is relevant to society.

• has multiple aims.

• is practicable.

A VCE student is carrying out a scientific investigation under the topic: ‘to investigate the effect of natural remedies on bacterial growth’. They will be culturing the bacterium Staphylococcus epidermis with various natural remedies, and will carry out a week-long investigation. Which of the following would be an example of an investigable research question?

• How does ginger inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus epidermis?

• Does lavender oil affect the structure of Staphylococcus epidermis?

• Does Staphylococcus epidermis grow better in light?

• Does turmeric have a negative effect on the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis?

After carrying out their investigation on the effect of natural remedies on bacterial growth, the student then compared their experimental results to those of another group in the class, who had undertaken the same experiment. They found that their results were different from those of the other groups, even though they had used the same materials and had conducted them within the same classroom. What has been affected?

• Reproducibility

• Precision

• Repeatability

• Accuracy

It has been theorised that lectin, a type of protein that has sugar-binding properties, can cause migraines in certain people. A study that purposes to observe and understand the link between lectin and migraines in adults is most accurately a/an

• correlational study.

• case study.

• controlled experiment.

• identification study.

Which of the following pieces of equipment would produce more precise and accurate data when measuring volume?

• Plastic pipette

• Micropipette

• Measuring cylinder

• Beaker

A student investigates whether different antibiotics differentially affect the growth of E. coli and S. epidermidis. During the experiment, all bacterial cultures were kept under 25 degrees Celsius, and were all grown on the same nutrient agar medium. These factors are most accurately defined as

• independent variables.

• dependent variables.

• controlled variables.

• controls.

During the COVID pandemic in 2020, scientists formulated a vaccine that would be initially administered to frontline workers and those in aged care. What type of bias may have occurred in this scenario?

• Selection bias

• Sampling bias

• Measurement bias

• Response bias

Which of the following is the most appropriate definition of primary data?

• A set of facts that are collected for analyses

• A summary of findings from various reliable scientific sources

• Qualitative data that can be organised into a logical sequence

• Data that is collected firsthand through a research investigation.