Famous Examples of the Scientific Method

Please type your answers in a different color, it is easy for me to grade.

Introduction
The scientific method is not a new idea; it has been utilized by generations of scientists. This activity will
introduce you to some of the most famous scientific experiments and discoveries – ones that continue to
influence our lives even today! See if you can identify the different parts of the scientific method and
experimental design in each.

The Strange Case of BeriBeri

Experiment #1:
Scientists thought the disease might be caused by bacteria. They injected chickens with blood
from patients with the beriberi disease. The injected chickens became sick. However, so did
the other group of chickens that were not injected with blood.

1. What was the initial hypothesis in this example? The initial hypothesis was that beriberi
was a bacteria.

2. A hypothesis is always based on prior knowledge, research, or observation. What do you think
scientists based this hypothesis on? The scientist based their hypothesis on their observations
of the spread of the disease.

3. What independent variable were the scientists studying in this case? What dependent variable
were the scientists measuring? The independent variable was the blood that was injected into
the chickens and the dependent variable was the chickens’ reaction to the blood.

4. What was the experimental group in their study? What was the control group? The
experimental group was the group of chickens that were injected with blood and the control
group were the chickens that were not injected.

5. Why is a control group important? What conclusion might the scientists have reached if they did
not use a control group in this example? The control group is important because the scientist
need a way to compare their results, without the control group they would have assumed
beriberi was a bacteria.

6. Would this first experiment be considered a failure? Explain why or why not. It would not be a
failure because now the scientists understand that beriberi is not transferred through blood
so it cannot be a bacteria.
Experiment #2:
One of the scientists studying Beriberi was named Dr. Eijkman. He realized that before the experiment,
all the chickens had eaten whole-grain rice, but during the experiment, the chickens were fed only
polished rice. Dr. Eijkman researched this further by testing two new groups of chickens. One group was
fed the polished rice, the other group was fed the whole-grain rice. Only the polished rice chickens got
the illness. As a result, he believed that the polished rice was missing a nutrient needed to prevent the
disease.

7. What observation did Dr. Eijkman make during the first Beriberi experiment? Both the
control and the experimental groups diets had been change before the experiment
and they both became ill.

8. What independent variable was Dr. Eijkman studying in this case? What dependent variable
did he measure? The independent variable was the rice and the dependent variable was the
chicken’s reaction to the rice.

9. What was the experimental group in this study? What was the control group? The
experimental group was the chickens being fed polished rice and the control group was the
chickens being fed the other rice.

10. Explain what Dr. Eijkman would need to do next in order to share his discovery with other
scientists and have his conclusions be considered valid. He would need to find what nutrient
the polished rice was missing and replicate his experiment.

The Discovery of Penicillin

Experiment #3:
Fleming thought that the mold must be producing a chemical that killed the bacteria. He decided to
isolate this substance and test it to see if it would kill bacteria. Fleming transferred the mold to a liquid
broth solution. This solution contained all the materials the mold needed to grow. After the mold grew,
he removed it. He then grew two identical groups of bacteria. He then took the mold-infused broth and
added it to of the groups of bacteria. Those bacteria died. Fleming then added a liquid broth that did not
contain mold to the second group of bacteria. This group survived.

11. What independent variable were the scientists studying in this case? What dependent variable
were the scientists measuring? The independent variable is the mold that kills bacteria and the
 dependent variable is the reaction of the bacteria.

12. What was the experimental group in their study? What was the control group? The
experimental group was the group with the mold and the control was the group without.

13. When an experiment is designed, all variables between the experimental group and control
group must be held constant. How did Fleming’s experimental design meet this requirement?
Fleming added the same amount of solution to both groups, one just had the addition of the
mold.

Spontaneous Generation
From the time of the ancient Romans, through the Middle Ages, and until the late nineteenth century, it
was generally accepted that some life forms arose spontaneously from non-living matter. Such
"spontaneous generation" appeared to occur primarily in decaying matter. For example, a seventeenth
century recipe for the spontaneous production of mice required placing sweaty underwear and wheat in
an open-mouthed jar, then waiting for about 21 days, during which time it was alleged that the sweat
from the underwear would penetrate the husks of wheat, creating mice.

Experiment #4:
The first serious attack on the idea of spontaneous generation was made in 1668 by Francesco Redi,
an Italian physician and poet. At that time, it was widely held that maggots arose spontaneously in
rotting meat. Redi believed that maggots developed from eggs laid by flies.

Place yourself in the role of Francesco Redi. Design an experiment that will test this idea. Remember,
you are challenging an idea that has been accepted for hundreds of years! You must follow the scientific
method closely, account for all variables, and carefully document your procedure to have a chance at
disproving this theory!

14. State a hypothesis. Remember to include the variable you are testing and a prediction of
the effects of this variable. Maggots develop in rotting food from eggs laid by flies.

15. Write a step-by-step procedure for this experiment. Include an experimental group and a control
group. Remember that every variable should be held constant between your two groups except
the one you are testing. This even includes exposure to air!

1. The experimental group would be a rotting fruit completely exposed to the air. The Independent
variable would be the exposure and the dependent variable would be the maggots that are in the
fruit.

2. the control group would be a rotting fruit very similar to that of the experimental group, but this
fruit would be covered completely by a glass container. The independent variable would be the
glass container and the dependent variable would be the amount of maggots that form on the
fruit.