You run out of brown sugar and decide to use 1.5 cups granulated sugar instead. The cookies come out much thinner than usual. Design a controlled experiment to test your hypothesis, describing how you would interpret your results. Please limit your response to one paragraph.
What is your hypothesis?
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One possible hypothesis is that without the brown sugar would be fewer components (present in brown sugar) that contribute to the cookie growth. Perhaps due to reaction with the baking soda... brown sugar acids releases? How I make a experiment to test this?
Bake one batch with brown and one with white to compare thinness.
Example full-credit answer: "Make an (experimental) batch of cookies following the recipe above, but in place of 3/4 cup brown sugar, substitute 3/4 cup white sugar plus sufficient strong acid to react with the baking soda. Compare the height of the experimental-batch cookies to the height of cookies made using the normal recipe (positive control) and made by simply substituting white sugar for brown sugar (negative control). If the experimental batch should have leavening similar to that of the positive control batch, then our hypothesis is supported. If the experimental batch resembles the negative control batch instead, this suggests that our hypothesis is incorrect."
To design a controlled experiment to test the hypothesis that using 1.5 cups of granulated sugar instead of brown sugar results in thinner cookies, you can follow these steps:
1. Gather ingredients and equipment: Make sure you have all the necessary ingredients and equipment to bake the cookies. This includes both granulated and brown sugar, as well as other ingredients required for the recipe.
2. Control group: Set up a control group where you bake a batch of cookies following the original recipe, including the instructed amount of brown sugar.
3. Experimental group: In the experimental group, make another batch of cookies using 1.5 cups of granulated sugar instead of brown sugar.
4. Independent and dependent variables: The independent variable is the type of sugar used, and the dependent variable is the thickness of the cookies.
5. Randomization: Randomly assign the control and experimental group to minimize potential bias.
6. Baking process: Ensure both batches of cookies are prepared and baked under the same conditions, such as using the same oven temperature and baking time.
7. Cookie evaluation: Once the cookies are baked and cooled, measure the thickness of each cookie from both groups. Use calipers or a ruler to obtain precise measurements.
8. Data analysis and interpretation: Compare the average thickness of cookies in both groups using statistical analysis. If the cookies made with granulated sugar are significantly thinner than those made with brown sugar, it supports the hypothesis that using granulated sugar leads to thinner cookies.
Interpreting the results would involve analyzing the statistical data. If the experimental group consistently produces thinner cookies compared to the control group, it indicates that the substitution of brown sugar with granulated sugar may be responsible for the difference. However, it is crucial to repeat the experiment multiple times to ensure the results are reliable.