You want to design an experiment to show whether drinking a large amount of Diet Coke can cause students to do poorly on a math exam. Design your experiment, then identify and explain each of the following in your experiment. Sampling Independent and dependent variables Control and experimental groups How you would evaluate your results
Experiment design:
- Sampling: The experiment would involve selecting a group of students from a specific population. It is important to ensure that the sample is representative of the population being studied. For example, if the goal is to generalize the results to all college students, a random sample of college students from various majors and backgrounds should be chosen.
- Independent variable: The independent variable in this experiment is the consumption of a large amount of Diet Coke. The individuals in the experimental group will be given a specific quantity of Diet Coke to consume, while the control group will not consume any Diet Coke.
- Dependent variable: The dependent variable in this experiment is the students' performance on a math exam. The score they achieve on the exam will be recorded and analyzed.
- Control group and experimental group: The control group will consist of students who do not consume any Diet Coke before taking the math exam. This allows for comparison and evaluation of the effects of Diet Coke consumption on exam performance. The experimental group will consist of students who consume a large amount of Diet Coke before taking the math exam.
- Evaluation of results: To evaluate the results, a statistical analysis can be conducted to compare the difference in math exam scores between the control group and the experimental group. This can be done using techniques such as t-tests or ANOVA (analysis of variance). It is important to consider other factors that may influence exam performance, such as prior math knowledge, anxiety levels, or sleep quality, and control for them in the analysis if possible. Additionally, it is crucial to ensure a sufficient sample size to increase the reliability of the results.