Grade 5 · Science · Unit 1 of 6
Scientific Investigation & Evidence
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An experimental question connects a changed factor with a measured outcome: “Does a cloth sleeve reduce the temperature drop of water in a cup over 10 minutes?” The changed variable is the sleeve; the outcome is the temperature change.
Keep other important conditions the same: cup type, amount of water, starting temperature, room, and observation time. An unwrapped cup is a comparison group. Without it, a wrapped cup cooling slowly would not tell us how an otherwise similar unwrapped cup behaves.
Repeat both setups and record all results. Repeated differences make a claim more convincing, but they do not erase errors such as reading one thermometer differently. A clear conclusion describes the conditions tested and acknowledges what was not tested.
Evidence and explanations can be revised. If results do not match a prediction, keep the results and reconsider the prediction or method. Never alter data to create a preferred answer. Use supplied data or only adult-prepared mildly warm water, never heated appliances.
Sample 10-minute cooling experiment- Both cups begin with 100 mL water at 30 °C. One has a cloth sleeve; one does not. They are observed in the same room for 10 minutes.
- Across three paired trials, unwrapped final temperatures are 25, 24, and 25 °C. Wrapped final temperatures are 28, 27, and 28 °C.
- Subtract final from starting temperature: unwrapped drops are 5, 6, and 5 °C; wrapped drops are 2, 3, and 2 °C.
- In each paired trial, the wrapped cup has a smaller temperature drop. The evidence supports the sleeve slowing cooling under these conditions; it does not prove water never cools.