The Mystery Within

During class, we were assigned to deduce what objects were clanking around inside an old film container. First, though, we had to ask many questions about the container and the potential objects inside. For example, how heavy is the container? What are the objects made of? Etc. Once we had obtained enough questions, we began our experiment. We were given an identical container, and a handful of objects that could be in the original. Our group decided to use a scale, though if we'd really wanted, we could've used another process (we brainstormed a process of identifying the objects inside, and letting the container float in a beaker of water to judge how much it sank or floated). We started by weighing the whole original container, and recording. Then, we shook it to see what sort of sound it made. By the sound of the shaking, we guessed which objects might be in the container.We put the empty container on the scale, and added each item, one by one, and watched the weight rise. We added a magnet, a piece of plastic, and a small nail. With the objects we guessed, the weight was only .1 ounce away from the controlled container. We were positive the original contained a magnet, because when we held the two containers together, they stuck. We then emptied the original, finding a magnet, and a small white piece of plastic. It lacked the tiny nail. In the end, we found that our .1 discrepancy was because our magnet weighed slightly less than the original. We hadn't actually needed the nail if we had known that.

Through this process, I learned that science has a great deal of guessing and checking. I also learned that there is a possibility of  inconsistency with results, and that isn't always in your control. You just have to make do with what you're given. This activity helped to introduce the idea of inquiry, which is neither short or easy. Sometimes, when experimenting, you'll have to go full circle. You'll ask questions, formulate hypotheses, and create experiments until you finally get an answer- just like we did with weighing and re-weighing our container.

EJ