Experimental Design

[Yacoubb]

What are typical experimental design-type questions that can be asked?

E.g. What is one possible error?

Could you please brainstorm as many as possible as I'd like to compile a list of possible questions and become used to that linear pattern of writing out answers to these types of questions for both SACs and that November exam which almost surely will have an experimental design question.

Thank you all for your contributions!!

[Shenz0r]

In the VCAA exam, they will normally ask you to design our own experiment (when, for example, trialling a drug or something). They've never really asked about errors related to your designed experiment though

[Yacoubb]

In the VCAA exam, they will normally ask you to design our own experiment (when, for example, trialling a drug or something). They've never really asked about errors related to your designed experiment though

Yeah but sometimes you are provided a table of results and told to graph the results, asked about a possible hypothesis, possible errors, what a flask/test tube may represent, etc..?

^ Does that make sense.
 
I'm familiar with the outline your experiment, including:
(a) Hypothesis
(b) Variables
(c) Experimental and Control group
(d) Method
(e) Results that support/hypothesises

^ unless otherwise stated

[the girl at the rock show]

I think these sorts of questions are more useful in SACs - I definitely had a lot of questions on experimental design on mine. Here are some off the top of my head:
 - writing a conclusion, hypothesis and aim
 - explaining the role of a group (e.g. the control group)
 - describing errors that could have occurred during the prac and why they would have affected the results
 - describing and explaining steps that were taken to minimise error
 - explaining the results

I'll post more up if I think of any I think questions on experimental design aren't hard, but it's easy to lose a mark if you didn't read the question properly or didn't provide enough info.

[ealam2]

Maybe designing your own experiment that would help improve the experimental methods and reduce the chances of errors. or what should have been done to limit the chances of errors.

[Dedicated]

Download a uni textbook off the net. Life the science of biology or Campbell biology. Then read the 1st chapter (both usually go off experimental design) and read the experiments extracts throughout (these relate an experiment to a topic and note the variables etc. very useful for your case). This should give you plenty of ideas of what types of errors can occur or assumptions we make.

[Yacoubb]

I think these sorts of questions are more useful in SACs - I definitely had a lot of questions on experimental design on mine. Here are some off the top of my head:
 - writing a conclusion, hypothesis and aim
 - explaining the role of a group (e.g. the control group)
 - describing errors that could have occurred during the prac and why they would have affected the results
 - describing and explaining steps that were taken to minimise error
 - explaining the results

Thank you so so much!! I definitely will have experimental design type questions on my SAC, especially in the discussion question where we look at control variables, possible errors that occur and why a certain process was done - (i.e. reducing the potentiality of random/systematic error)

Download a uni textbook off the net. Life the science of biology or Campbell biology. Then read the 1st chapter (both usually go off experimental design) and read the experiments extracts throughout (these relate an experiment to a topic and note the variables etc. very useful for your case). This should give you plenty of ideas of what types of errors can occur or assumptions we make.

I think I will now Thank you so much!