Scientific Method
1. Is it possible that the student is in class tired due to having a job that requires being up all night till morning.
2. Test:
A. I would be testing my hypothesis by suggesting that the student would be called on more to answer questions or have his/her opinion on the topic.
B. If the student manages to stay awake by answering questions or give his/her opinion my hypothesis will be supported and he/her will make it through until the end of class.
C. My hypothesis would be falsified if the student continues to fall asleep even when being called on.
3. An untestable example would be if the student accidentally drinks a sleeping potion every morning before school.
2. Test:
A. I would be testing my hypothesis by suggesting that the student would be called on more to answer questions or have his/her opinion on the topic.
B. If the student manages to stay awake by answering questions or give his/her opinion my hypothesis will be supported and he/her will make it through until the end of class.
C. My hypothesis would be falsified if the student continues to fall asleep even when being called on.
3. An untestable example would be if the student accidentally drinks a sleeping potion every morning before school.
Testable Hypothesis (5/5) - So what is the ultimate cause here... lack of sleep? Pinpoint the actual cause and that is what you need to test.
ReplyDeleteTest (3/5) - How does this address the problem of lack of sleep? How about we just make sure the student gets a full night's sleep?
Support (3/5) - But you haven't changed the conditions that are the hypothesized cause, so you aren't supporting that hypothesis. If you make sure he gets a full night's sleep and he stays awake in class, this would support your hypothesis.
Falsify (2/5) - Same problem. You still aren't testing your hypothesis.
Untestable Hypothesis (7/10) - On the right track, but is this sleeping potion real? Or invisible? I know this sounds absurd, but it matters. Keep in mind that "absurd" isn't the same thing as "untestable". Just because something is ridiculous doesn't mean it can't be falsified. I can hypothesize that the student is a superhero and gets no sleep at night because he spends his nights flying around the city, fighting crime. Yes, ridiculous, but I can falsify this by just observing the student an noting that he doesn't leave his house at night. :-) So if the drink is real, can't we test it to make sure it isn't (or is) a sleeping potion?