Jordan's grandmother uses the juice from squeezed lemons to remove stains from his shirt. He hypothesizes that the juice is the only part of the lemon that is effective at removing the stains, because it’s an acid. Which two steps would help Jordan determine whether his hypothesis is scientifically supported?
To determine whether his hypothesis is scientifically supported, Jordan can follow these two steps:
1. Control Experiment: The first step is to design a control experiment. Jordan should obtain a fresh lemon and collect different parts of it, including the juice, the zest (outer layer), and the pulp (inner flesh). He can mark different sections on his stained shirt and apply each part of the lemon to a specific section. To have a valid control, he should also designate a section that will not be treated with any lemon part at all.
2. Comparative Analysis: Once the lemon parts have been applied to the shirt, Jordan needs to observe the results over a fixed period, such as one hour or overnight, depending on the duration it takes for the stains to be removed. After the designated time, he should compare the sections and analyze the effectiveness of each lemon part in removing the stains. Additionally, Jordan should take note of any changes in color, texture, or any other factors that may be relevant to stain removal.
By performing these two steps, Jordan can compare the effectiveness of different parts of the lemon in removing stains and evaluate whether his hypothesis – that the acid in the juice is the key factor – is supported or not.