Assignment
Scenario
You are concerned about the rate of death in catfish at your aquaculture operation in tanks that have a high amount of algae growth. You collect some of the algae and send it to the university to have it identified. You find that it is a blue-green alga called Anabaena. Anabaena is known to be toxic to fish. You design an experiment to test how much of the algae the fish can stand before they die. You obtain 3 large aquariums (all the same size) and fill them with water taken from a healthy catfish pond at your operation. You put each aquarium on the same bench in the laboratory, where the light and temperature values are identical. You let the water stand for one day before starting the experiment. In aquarium 1, you add 0 grams of algae and 20 catfish. In aquarium 2, you add 20 catfish and 10 grams of algae. In aquarium 3 you have 20 grams of algae and 20 catfish. The aeration rate (air pumped into the tank) of each aquarium is identical. You make two observations at the same time each day for two weeks. You keep track of the numbers of fish in each tank that die.
i. What has been observed?
ii. What questions does this present?
iii. What is your hypothesis? (In the form of If....Then statement)
iv. Fill in the table below to represent your experiment.
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Constants
(These are the same for each trial.)
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Independent Variable
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Dependent Variable
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v. What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable?
vi. How are these different from constants?
vii. What might be some conclusions from this experiment?
viii. Why is it important that a non-science student understand the scientific method?
ix. How do you think that this method can be used in everyday life?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
i) The answer should be typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), double spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides.
ii) The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
iii) Also include a reference page. The Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.