A supermarket chain wants to verify that the bottler of their store brand of soda is in fact filling the cans to the specified volume. They took several “cubes” from the shelves and measured the amount in each can. Is this an observational study or a designed experiment. Explain why you chose your answer.
What are "cubes"?
What did you choose?
I think the cubes are the packages of soda, maybe a large quantity.
I said it was observational study because there was no treatment imposed.
To determine whether the investigation conducted by the supermarket chain is an observational study or a designed experiment, we need to understand the key characteristics of each approach.
Observational Study: In an observational study, researchers observe and collect data without intervening or deliberately manipulating any variables. They simply observe the subjects and record the information. This approach is useful for studying relationships and associations between variables, but it does not involve any deliberate manipulation or control.
Designed Experiment: In a designed experiment, researchers deliberately manipulate one or more variables and control the conditions to observe the effects on other variables. They assign subjects to different treatments or groups and control the factors that might influence the outcome. This approach allows researchers to establish cause-effect relationships between variables.
In the given scenario, the supermarket chain is measuring the amount in each can of soda to verify if it meets the specified volume. This process involves a deliberate measurement of the cans, which indicates the chain is intentionally manipulating and controlling the variable of "cans' volume." Therefore, this investigation can be categorized as a designed experiment.
In a designed experiment, the supermarket chain is manipulating and controlling the independent variable (cans' volume) to observe the effect on the dependent variable (specified volume of soda). By measuring the cans' contents, they are intentionally intervening to determine if the soda cans meet the specified volume requirement.
Overall, because the supermarket chain is actively manipulating and controlling the cans' volume, this investigation can be considered a designed experiment.