LAVC Squirrels Are Clever Creatures Having to Be Intelligent & Good Memorization Report
Overview
Now that you know a little about the scientific method, it is now your turn to follow the steps and design your own experiment. You are going to work on the following scientific question:
Are animals in your neighborhood more active in the middle of the day or at dawn/dusk?
You will need to pick an animal (squirrel, crow, hummingbird, parrot, etc). Your animal cannot be something domesticated (no dogs and cats). You will need to devise a hypothesis. Remember that a hypothesis is just an answer to a question, not an answer to a question plus an explanation. Your hypothesis should be something like this: Cougars are more active in my neighborhood at dusk than in the middle of the day. Next you will have to come up with a way to test your hypothesis. This will be some sort of standardized sampling scheme were you go look for active animals in your neighborhood. Then you will represent your collected data in the form of a table and graph (can be a separate upload or embedded) Finally, you will decide whether your data provides evidence that supports or refutes your hypothesis and you will come up with some explanations for what you found.
Instructions
Please upload one document (.doc, .docx or .pdf accepted) for this assignment. Within the lab report you must have:
- The animal you picked
- A hypothesis pertaining to activity
- The experiment you conducted
- The data you collected as table or graph (this can be incorporated in the document). If you upload it separately make a note in the submitted document as a word doc or pdf)
- Conclusions to whether your data supported or refuted your hypothesis
- At least 3 explanations for what you found
Important: You should probably go outside to collect data. If you do so, please follow all regulations on mask wearing, social distancing, and access. You absolutely should not go collect data in locations that are closed due to COVID-19.
If you need help making graphs and tables:
