Measuring and Analysing Population Density through Observation and Inference
Freaky Science with John Marsh
Get ready to dive into some wacky science experiments! Today, we're dissecting John Marsh's bizarre yet captivating exploration of Skittles candies and warm water with his students at Tauranga Intermediate School.
Observing the world around us is crucial in grappling with science. But how can we make sense of what we observe? In simpler terms, we're talking about nailing down the information and then coming up with our own conclusions—inferences, my friend!
Our experiment starts with a colourful lineup of Skittles candies: purple, green, red, and yellow. But things start to get interesting when we add some warm water. After the commotion subsides, we made some educated guesses about the outcome:
- Students: "I think when the water gets put in, I think the colours from the Skittles will come out and go into the water."
- Students: "Yeah, and I think they might like merge together and then like make cool colours."
But guesswork isn't just enough. We need some hypotheses to test!
John asks a thought-provoking question: "Do you think one colour would melt or change faster than another?" The students came up with a reasonable answer:
- Students: "I think maybe the green or the yellow... Because they're lighter colours."
With the experiment set up, we let the Skittles dance in their vibrant party with the warm water. The students observed as the colours swirled around, melted, and merged into the water. Can you guess what they deduced?
- Students: "The colours are slowly going into the middle and it's merging more in the middle."
- Students: "I think the, the purple's going underneath the light colours, it looks like."
After gathering their thoughts and making observations, the students attempted to be armchair physicists by inferring why the colours behaved the way they did:
- Student: "Maybe it's for the different particles. They have different particles and when they come together, they join differently."
- Student: "Maybe it's the water that's making the colours merge differently. And the green has less on the top than the others."
This enlightening discussion sparks our curiosity about how particles behave under different conditions. John, eager to inspire more inquisitive minds, planned follow-up experiments to delve deeper into the mysterious interactions of particles and liquids:
- "My next move would be to do two more experiments - one looking at two different densities of liquid such as golden syrup and water and observing those in the glass when they meet."
- "The second one would be getting two glasses, one with a tablespoon of salt, one with a tablespoon of sugar - two quite distinctly different sized particles - and seeing which dissolves."
John's thoughtful approach to experimentation will engage students in conversations and develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. By drawing connections between different experiments, the students will not only become more involved in the scientific method but also feel empowered to question the world around them.
As of now, we don't have any specific details on John's Skittles experiment at Tauranga Intermediate School. But consider this write-up a sneak peek into the wild world of educational science experiments, where everyday objects like Skittles become an extraordinary window into the nitty-gritty of scientific phenomena.
- Science education and self-development involving learning can be witnessed as John Marsh explores the unusual interactions of Skittles candies in warm water with his students in Tauranga Intermediate School, helping them to think critically, form hypotheses, and make inferences based on observations.
- The students' curiosity about the behavior of particles and liquids is sparked, and their scientific understanding is deepened by engaging in discussions and experimentation related to Freaky Science topics.
